Disgaea: Origins of a Kaiser
by Blade1986
Summary: Hello again everyone! This is the sidestory for Saito's origins, and his first adventure in the Netherworld. It's a little more detailed than the version in Shadows of the Obligate. Please remember to read and review. COMPLETE
1. Part 1: Of Overlords and Invitations

**Author's note:** Hello everyone! It's me once again. Like I stated in my original fan-fic, _Shadows of the Obligate_, I decided to create a side-story to help explain some of the details that I left out. I hope that you enjoy reading this as much as **I** enjoyed writing it

**Disclaimer: I do not own Disgaea. If I did, there would probably be a _Disgaea 2_. All original characters, with the exceptions of Yuki and Setsuna (both of whom will be briefly mentioned) belong to me. These two in particular are property of _burnfist._**

_Italics_ indicates thought.

**_Bold and italic_** indicates a location.

**  
Original Character:**

**Name:** Saito Onago (Prefers Saito)

**Age: **Do you really want to know? (Appears 19)

**DOB:** October 13

**Height: **6' 1.75"

**Weight:** 145 lbs.

**Hair Color: **Auburn. Has a tendency to stand straight up (**ala Goku**) ((**Goku is © Toei Animation, and FUNImation))**

**Eye Color:** Varies, depending on his mood. Ranges from crystal (**very light**) blue ((**excellent mood**)) to flat black ((**STAY THE FCK OUT OF MY WAY!**))

**Species: **Hybrid (Sorcerer/Angel/Kaiser Dragon/Vampire)

**Weapon: **Razor Chain (Distance attacks) ((**dark grey**)), Durend (Shape-shifting sword) ((**white with rainbow aura**))

**Abilities:** Innate pyromancy and aeromancy (control of fire and air), can also use any element ((**he just needs to work on his control**)): flight (YES, he does have wings), teleportation

**Position:** Keeper of the Keys/Weapon smith (Dragons), Last Kaiser Dragon (**all**)

**Disgaea: The Origins of a Kaiser**

_**Prologue: What happened before**_

Saito Onago is a four-part hybrid who happens to be the Gatekeeper. He holds the twelve dimensional keys that help to maintain balance in the known universe. Recently, however, those keys were scattered when he was dragged into a portal by the Lord of Terror, Baal. After this battle, and his subsequent encounters with both Priere and Marjoly, Saito made his way to the True Netherworld, in order to find Laharl. Upon locating the pronce, he was surprised to see Veyer as well. Engaging the man in a friendly duel, it was soon revealed to all that Veyer was actually Nicholai Krichevskoy, the former Overlord who everyone believed had died nearly seven years before. Due to Saito's injuries, he was carried to the Sacred Altar, where he met with the Seraph Lamington and the holy/unholy priest Setsuna. His injuries were bound, and he finally settled down in order to tell his story.

_**Sacred Altar: Celestia**_

Saito sighed inwardly. He knew that he was going to have to explain his relationship not only with the former Overlord, but with the Seraph as well. He slowly rose and stood up. Everyone suddenly fell silent as they looked over at him. His expression was a little **too** somber for their liking. "Everyone, calm down. I know that I have a lot of explaining to do, and not just to you, Laharl. All of you might as well find a place to sit down, because this might take a long time until all of you know exactly what I have been through in order to come to this point." He looked over at Seraph Lamington, who smiled and nodded. "Pull up a chair, everyone. This is going to take a while." Everyone grabbed a chair and formed a circle. The Seraph briefly disappeared into his chambers before reemerging with a tall, stiff-backed wooden chair. This he placed on the first step of the altar, and he gestured for Saito to take the seat. The mage smiled and nodded at the Seraph of all angels. _Well, it looks like I'll finally be able to get it out of my system._ All eyes were on the mage as he took his seat. He settled down into the chair, looked around until all was quiet, and then he began to speak.

"My full title is Saito Alexander Daniel Michael Nathaniel Alan Jeffrey Onago. I was born as a hybrid to two distinctly unique parents. My father was part vampire, and part Kaiser Dragon. My mother, on the other hand, was part human and part angel. I was lucky enough, or, as some people say, _unlucky_ enough, to receive all four parts of both parents. Thus, I am a four-part hybrid combination of angel, dragon, demon, and human. This allows me to do certain things that are beyond the comprehension of most of my race. For instance, it allows me to open Dimensional Gates anywhere, just as Baal is capable of doing." There was dead silence at the mention of the name of the Lord of Terror. Saito looked around the circle, and then continued. "Another thing that some of you might have noticed is the fact that the crest on the back of my right hand is fading. That is because I have managed to do something that no draconic has been capable of for the past five generations. I have managed to rise beyond my normal Kaiser status to that of an Ultima." All eyes in the room widened, and jaws dropped in shock as the mage displayed the crest on the back of his right hand. The four interwoven triangles were **indeed** fading from view. Priere leaned over to Marjoly and whispered, "So **that's** the reason why the mark was fading! He was changing into something else!" The rest of her conversation was cut off when she heard a light cough, and she turned back to the mage, smiling sheepishly. "I'm sorry, my young friend. It's just that…" Saito raised a hand, cutting her off. "I know, alternate Overlord. May I please get back to my story now?" The flame-haired demon nodded and fell silent for the rest of the narrative. Saito sighed and his view once more circled the audience. "There will be more than enough time for questions and comments after I am finished. Now, where was I? Ah, yes. I was explaining why the crest was vanishing. Now, please allow me to explain exactly what it signifies. It basically means that I am more powerful than **any** other draconic in my generation. It also means that I have a chance to become the leader of the draconics if I survive this ordeal. However, I must first tell you how I came to the acquaintance of King Krichevskoy and Seraph Lamington…"

**Part 1: Of Overlords and Invitations**

**Flashback begins**

_**Hall of Prophecies: Draconica Mainland**_

"_And so, the demons have been battling each other for the past several weeks. It is only recently that a select few demons have begun to rise over the others in this tournament. The Oricaltos _(Leader of all draconics) _has recently issued a decree that no dragon is to leave through the Dimensional gate until this battle to determine the next Overlord has been resolved._" Alexander Critios, the head recorder in the Hall of Prophecies, put down his pen and shook out his left hand. _Stupid cramps,_ he thought to himself as he rose from his chair and stretched. At 5'10", he was one of the taller weredragons, and he was also the wisest. So far, he was the only recorder who could use the scrying glass in the main section of the Hall to view what was going on in the other worlds. As he strode out of his study and headed towards one of the classrooms on the south side of the grounds, he ran his slender hands through his silver hair. Brilliant green eyes shone with the knowledge that he contained. He marched into the classroom to find a fairly loud group of students bothering one of his more avid pupils. The other children in the room noted the older mans approach and scrambled out of his way, falling silent as they did so. Soon, Alexander could hear exactly what was being said to the young man encircled by others larger than him. "Hey freak! Why don't you just cut off your wings and go home!" "You don't belong here, kid," snarled another voice. "Get out of here while you still have your hide." However, Alexander smiled when he heard his pupil's sharp retorts.

Saito had come in earlier that day, hoping to avoid his tormentors, commonly called "the Shadow group" by the rest of the students. However, he had arrived a little too late that day, and he found himself surrounded. "Hey freak! Why don't you just cut off your wings and go home!" called Kai, one of the bigger and stronger members of the group. He was cut off when their leader raised his right hand. Shadow was tall and menacing. At nearly 5'8", he towered over his comrades. "You don't belong here, kid," he snarled, showing cruel fangs. With jet-black hair, slightly pale skin, and red eyes, he was one of the more menacing students at the school. "Get out of here while you still have your hide." "Who is going to take my hide if I don't leave, Shadows?" Saito replied, his blue eyes suddenly growing ice cold. "Are you? Or will it be one of your 'friends' there?" he snapped, jerking his head back towards the remainder of the circle. "I'd really like to see you or one of them try." Saito was only 15 by human standards, but he was much stronger than he looked. At the height of 5'7", he was only one inch shorter than Shadow. He looked up, icy blue eyes meeting blood-red eyes in a staring match that Shadow knew he could not win. The taller draconic looked away, snarling. "One of these days, you **will** pay for this. You here me?" he called as he turned to walk away. However, his path was blocked a silver-haired man, and the rest of the gang instantly knew that they were in **deep** trouble. "Master Alexander! I didn't see you come in," Shadow exclaimed, quickly bowing his head in respect. I was wondering if you were going to show up."

"Wondering whether I would actually allow you to try your luck against my top pupil? I don't think so, Shadow," came the older man's response. "Besides, he is more than capable of beating the living daylights out of you. I should know, because I was one of his combat instructors." At this comment, the rest of the students gasped in wonder. They all believed that Master Alexander had only held the position of Recorder of the Histories, and no other jobs. Alexander smiled humorlessly, showing brilliant white fangs at his most troublesome student. "Why don't you pick on someone your own size?" "But sir," Shadow protested, "he **is** nearly my size." The older man stopped to think about this, and then nodded. "You have an excellent point. So, Saito," the teacher asked, looking beyond Shadow in order to see his top student, "do you think you can take on Shadow?" "Take him on? Don't make me laugh, Master Alexander," came the younger man's reply, which caused Shadow to breathe a sigh of relief. The young man's next words, however, chilled Shadow to the core. "I don't exactly feel the need to crush someone like him right now. Maybe later, though," he added. looking pointedly at his rival, "we can settle this elsewhere. WITHOUT the rest of your goons watching for an opening at my back." The newest Kaiser dragon grinned before he shouldered past the slightly taller man. He bowed to the teacher easily. "Good afternoon, Master Alexander. How are events progressing in the Netherworld?" This started the lesson, as all of the children wanted to learn about what was going on in the other worlds.

Alexander strode to the front of the room, and waited for his students to take their seats. He then picked up a piece of chalk, and began to draw several diagrams on the board. When this was done, he turned and looked at his pupils. "The events in the Netherworld have been progressing at their usual pace." This elicited several groans from the students, and the older man smiled. "BUT, there are now a few prime contenders for the title of Overlord. First of all, there are a few wayward contenders. One of these is a demon going by the name of Hoggmeiser." As he spoke the name, he pointed to one of the drawings on the board. It showed a very ugly pig-like demon. "Next, there is a fairly interesting demon going by the name of Soriens." At this, he pointed to the second picture on the board. Unlike the first one, this was an actual photograph, not merely a drawing. This one showed a man wearing a pair of black leggings and a red tunic. A black headband decorated with a red eye held back the man's dark hair. His brown eyes were shining as he stood at ease, a spear clutched in his right hand. "The last two major contenders are both vampires. One is a Nosferatu going by the name of Maderas." At this, he pointed to the second photograph, which showed a typical vampire. "Last, but not least, there is the second vampire. This one goes by the name of Nicholai Krichevskoy." After saying this, he pointed to the last photograph on the board. This one showed a vampire, but it was _far_ different from the picture of Maderas. For starters, the demon in this picture had **violet **hair, and also had a thin moustache. His hair was of a normal length, but there were two strips of hair that extended back over his head.

The children stared in awe. No one had **ever** been able to take a photograph of a demon before. Alexander smiled as he looked out at all of the raised hands in the classroom. Looking at the clock hanging at the back of the room, he inwardly sighed. "I know that you have many questions to ask me, class. But I am afraid we are all out of time for the day." This was greeted by a chorus of groans from the seated students. "However, I will let you know if anything new develops over the weekend," he said with a smile. As the students were packing up their belongings, the teacher called to two of his students. "Shadow! Saito! I need both of you to stick around. There is something that I must show you both." Shadow and Saito looked at each other, and Saito raised an eyebrow. "Looks like we're stuck for a while longer," he said. Shadow sneered, and then approached Alexander's desk after everyone else had left. "What do you want now, old man?" he demanded, a dangerous glitter in his eyes. "I merely wanted you both to follow me. There is something that **both** of you need to see before you leave." With that, Alexander stood up and walked out of the room, followed closely by the two rivals. Alexander smiled to himself. _**This** is going to be an interesting fight once they realize what is going on here_, he thought as he led both of the Kaisers into the main portion of the Hall. He placed his hand over the reader in front of the door, and let it scan his palm-print. He smiled when the door opened for him almost immediately. "Right this way, you two," he said, leading both of them into the darkness.

Saito was amazed at this. _I'm actually going to see the scrying glass! I can't wait until Mother hears about this! _he thought to himself as they continued to walk down the darkened corridor. They soon stopped before a fairly large piece of glass. Alexander smiled. "_This_ is what I wanted both of you to see." Shadow looked over at the old man, and narrowed his eyes. "What's so special about this piece of glass? I don't see anything different about it." "That is because you are not paying attention, my boy. Take a closer look," the elder weredragon said, a tiny smile creeping across his features. Saito needed no prompting at all, and was intensely studying the surface. He relaxed, and then it was as if a set of curtains had been opened. Saito looked on in surprise as he watched the glass, his face reflecting his own amazement.

_**Arena of Shadows: True Netherworld**_

"_Chaos Swarm!_" Maderas split into several bats, and then launched himself at Krichevskoy. The older vampire dodged, and then unleashed the energy he had been building in his right hand. "_Fist of Shadows!_" The darkness wrapped around his fist connected with the central bat, knocking Maderas out of his attack. The Nosferatu was stunned. _No one has ever been able to counter my Chaos Swarm! How can this be...?_ He swept his right claw upwards at the other vampire, only to have it blocked by the spear that Krichevskoy held. Maderas launched himself away from the man, and prepared to unleash one of his favorite specialties: the Chaos Fire. However, he failed to notice that Krichevskoy was **also** gathering energy for an attack. Just as he launched into the air, Maderas saw the energy burning around Nicholai's fists. It was too late for him to stop, so Maderas began his attack. "_Chaos..._"

He never finished intoning his attack, as Krichevskoy flung his arms upwards, releasing the energy stored in his fists. The energy formed into numerous glowing orbs, all of which hovered around the vampire. Krichevskoy had yet to think of a name for this attack, but he knew what words and gesture caused the final blast. "_Bite the dust!_" Krichevskoy roared as he brought his arms back down at a tremendous speed. The energy orbs hovered for a moment longer, and then converged on Maderas. The Nosferatu didn't know what had hit him, and he was immediately knocked out from the force of the attack. The old Overlord saw this easily from his throne. "Maderas is unable to continue! Krichevskoy moves onto the finals tomorrow!" he called, causing a massive cheer from the crowds of demons surrounding the arena floor. Krichevskoy looked up, and then bowed deeply to the Overlord before turning to acknowledge the crowd. He then strode out of the arena, heading back towards the Dark Caverns, where he was staying during the remainder of the tournament. Watching Maderas go by on a stretcher, he winced sympathetically. _I'm sorry, Maderas. You left yourself **way** too open for that attack._ He chuckled and moved on, his red eyes scanning the faces in the street as he continued to walk along. However, one particular face caught his attention.

The first thing that Krichevskoy noticed was the green eyes watching him. He turned and was given a clear look at the young woman's face. She appeared to be approximately 23 years-old, and had dirty-blonde hair. She was dressed like a mage, except that her dress was pure white. It was obvious that she was not from the Netherworld, and Krichevskoy could tell this by the way she looked around frantically. _She must be searching for someone in particular,_ the vampire thought as he walked over to the young woman. "Is there anything I can do to help you, young lady?" The woman whirled around, her bow coming up instantly as she eyed the demon before her. She then realized exactly what she had done, and quickly lowered her weapon. "I'm sorry," she said, her voice softly betraying how nervous she was. "It's just that I'm not from around here, and I need time to adjust. You see, I'm from the human world, and I came here to study at the Overlord's Castle. Could you show me which direction I need to take?" Krichevskoy smiled at the young witch. "I'll take you there, if you really want to see it right now," he said, his voice hiding exactly how nervous he was. _This girl is beautiful_, he thought to himself as he waited for her response.

Rena was overjoyed. _I finally meet someone, and he can show me the way to the Overlord's Castle! Not to mention that I think he's kinda cute_, she thought to herself as she put her bow away. She drew forth her staff and planted it into the ground. "I would like that very much. Thank you for escorting me." The demon slapped his forehead, as if he had forgotten something extremely important. "How foolish of me! Where are my manners? My name is Nicholai Krichevskoy," he said, a twinkle shining in his red eyes. The witch smiled, and then nodded. "My name is Rena Solvaris. It is a pleasure to meet you," she said, trying to hide the trembling in her voice. The vampire smiled, and then held out his right hand. "Shall we be going then?" Rena giggled, and then put her hand in Krichevskoy's. "Let's get moving. I still want to be able to see the path."

_**Back in the Hall of Prophecies:**_

Shadow managed to maintain his focus long enough to see Soriens land an Impaler on Hoggmeiser, knocking the pig-demon out. He then turned to look at his teacher. "Is that why you dragged us all the way out here? Just to see how demons fight? This was just a waste of time," he spat bitterly, before turning to leave the room. He was stopped by Saito's voice. "I don't really think that was the reason why we were brought here. Is that correct, Master?" he asked, turning to look at his former hand-to-hand instructor. Alexander smiled, and then hit the switch under his thumb. The lights suddenly came on, nearly blinding both of the younger Kaisers. When their eyes had finished adjusting, both gasped in shock and surprise. The entire corridor was lined with mirrors, and they were all polished very smoothly. "**This** is the reason why I brought you both here," came the older draconic's voice. Both turned to look back at him with quizzical looks on their faces. He smiled, and then went on to explain. "Both of you have been trained to use your own magical abilities as weapons. This is the perfect place to test them against one another." Shadow's jaw dropped wide open, and Saito suddenly grinned. "So, let me get this straight: you brought us here in order to let us **fight** each other?" Shadow asked, a little skeptical. The older man nodded, and then headed for the door. Just before he exited, he turned around. "I will be watching both of you very carefully. If either of you draws a weapon, then you will be immediately thrown from the Hall. Is that clear?" Both draconics nodded. "The last one still conscious wins! Good luck to both of you," he called as he closed and locked the door.

Shadow pushed back his long sleeves. "I'm going to enjoy beating you into the ground, kid. Are you ready?" he asked, before suddenly rushing forward in an attempt to catch his chief rival off-guard. For all of his troubles, he was tossed halfway across the room, landing heavily on his back. Saito smiled lightly, before rushing after his sliding opponent. Shadow hit the wall and flipped up onto his feet. He then extended his right hand, the lightning crackling dangerously. He reared his arm back and threw the ball of lightning, only to stop and stare in shock as Saito reached out and caught it with a natural ease. "How in the hell did you do that?" he asked, astonished that Saito had reacted so fast.

Saito grinned. _I guess he was never paying attention to me when he was busy beating up on the other kids in class. He never knew that I was studying **his** techniques. That way, I would know how to beat them..._ He thought for a moment, then held out the ball of lightning that Shadow had launched at him. "Let's just say that I've been studying your techniques for **quite** a while." The younger weredragon grinned, and then clenched his fist, absorbing the lightning. He then proceeded to charge one of his own specialty attacks. His right hand suddenly started to grow silver as he crossed it before his chest. Shadow saw this, and immediately started to curse himself. _CRAP! He's going to use his own special! Considering the fact that I can't exactly block right now... I am completely screwed!_ It was at that point that Shadow heard Saito chanting something. The chant slowly grew in volume until the weredragon was nearly yelling. The last phrase of the chant was all that Shadow would hear when he awoke. "_Alcarve, ansure, alnidrae, ansum. Oldave, Antelis, ANKARE TSUNUM!_" the young hybrid roared as he whipped his right hand away from his chest and pointed his palm at his rival. The silver fireballs launched out of his palm, and then spread out, growing in strength until he gave the word of release. Saito smiled then, his _vampiric_ fangs suddenly becoming apparent. "In the words of Nicholai Krichevskoy," he invoked as he raised his hands above his head. "_BITE THE DUST!_" he roared as he swept his arms down, releasing the fireballs in much the same way as the vampire had released his own energy attack. The fireballs all converged on Shadow, knocking him out cold.

Alexander was upstairs, visiting with the Oricaltos. Together, they watched the battle in the Hall below. The head draconic looked at his Recorder of Histories. "Onago is unnaturally strong. Where does all of that strength come from?" he asked Alexander. "Well, the main reason why he is so strong is because he is a hybrid." "WHAT! That boy is a hybrid! But where does all of that strength come from? His prowess with magic is second to none, and his skill is unmatched in all disciplines. It is well-nigh impossible to defeat him in single combat," the Oricaltos raged, and then turned on his old comrade. "Why was this power not granted to ME?" Alexander looked at his old friend. "Well, he is the only son of the most powerful half-angelic sorceress in either Celestia or on Earth. His father is half vampiric, and is also the last of the Kaiser line. THAT is where his power comes from," the old draconic stated proudly. "He will make the perfect Oricaltos, no offense to you, old friend," he added quickly. The leader snorted in disdain. "He is destined to be the Keeper of the Keys," the Oricaltos finally stated. "WHAT! You must be KIDDING me!" Alexander looked at his leader with shock and disbelief. "Do not question me, Alexander. He is _diralec_, the last of the true Blood Shadows that were hunted to near extinction. He is nearly immortal, and if he ascends to Ultima status then he will truly _be_ immortal. However, he must first face an evil much stronger than himself. That is why he will guard the keys until he has faced this great evil. That is all," the Oricaltos said before rising from his seat and turning towards the door. Alexander could only stare in disbelief at his comrade. The draconic leader paused for a moment before he left the room. "One more thing, Alexander." The Recorder of all draconic history raised his head, and look at his Lord. "Make sure that young master Saito gets to meet Krichevskoy." At this, Alexander smiled before he bowed to the Oricaltos. "It shall be done, my lord."

Saito met with his teacher just outside of the main hall. "You have done well, my apprentice. But I believe that I have kept you here far too long." At that point in time, Saito looked at his watch, and then panicked. "SHOOT! I was supposed to be home 15 minutes ago! Dad is going to be pissed, and that's an understatement! I gotta go, old man." Alexander looked at his prize pupil and smiled. "Get moving, young man. Your mother might be a little worried about you. Good luck handling your old man!" With that, Saito raced homeward. His feet flew over the path, and he reminisced over what had happened that day.

_**Onago House: Draconia**_

"Mom! Dad! I'm home!" called Saito as he passed through the front door. He heard his mother's voice as he passed through the main hall, and he stopped easily. "Your father is in the dining room. I don't think he's very happy with you," she called lightly to her only child. Saito snorted aloud before heading into the kitchen. _Since when was Dad **ever** happy with anything I did? Ah well, such is life_, he thought to himself as he gave his mother a quick kiss on the cheek. She smiled, her bright blue eyes glittering brilliantly. "Hurry up, boy! You've got some MAJOR explaining to do!" called a voice from the dining room. Saito rolled his eyes and prepared for another verbal battle with his father. "Wish me luck, Mom," he called as he walked through the doorway. Kaido Onago was sitting at the table, a sour expression on his face. His flaming red hair matched his eyes—and his temper. He looked at his only child and snapped viciously. "Where in the HELL have you been? I told you that you were supposed to return fifteen minutes ago!"

_After several minutes of explanations, more yelling, and a fist to Kaido's jaw:_

Saito finally slumped into his seat, and then shook his head, trying to clear the blood from his vision. _Dad landed a **good** one this time_, he thought, wincing as his hand brushed the slash across his forehead. He looked over at his mother and grinned. "Master Alexander took Shadow and I into the Hall yesterday afternoon in order to see the scrying glass. It was _incredible!_ We actually watched both semifinal matches to see who would be the next Overlord." At this, the Lady Serena's eyes widened. "Who won this round? Did Krichevskoy manage to survive?" she asked, a brilliant glimmer in her eyes. "Krichevskoy beat the living daylights out of Maderas," her son replied, grinning. "Oh, and Soriens won his match against Hoggmeiser." _Then this is going to be one heck of a final match_, thought the older draconic. She looked at her son with a smile. "Shouldn't you be going to bed, young man? It's getting awfully late." "Yes mother. I'll see you in the morning!" Saito called as he headed into his room. _What an exciting day!_ He thought as he fell into bed.

_The next day: Late afternoon_

_**Hall of Prophecies: Draconia**_

"_It appears that Krichevskoy has won the tournament. However, the Overlord is still unwilling to give up his title. I will record any further developments._" Alexander put his pen down, and then headed back towards the main portion of the Hall. However, his way was soon barred by a fairly angry looking gang of students. "What in the name of hell did you do to Shadow?" Kai demanded. Alexander merely smiled. He wanted a fight with Saito. I merely offered them a battlefield. It was his own fault for underestimating Saito's power." At the mention of the hated weredragon, Kai's eyes widened, and then narrowed even more terribly. He turned to look back at the rest of the group. "Come on, you guys. Let's go beat the hell out of this kid!" he said, grinning wickedly. The rest of the gang turned and followed Kai away, only to be stopped at the door when Saito came rushing in. "Master Alexander! Did I miss the final match?" he called eagerly. The old Recorder nodded his head. "I'm afraid so, my young friend. However, it appears that the Overlord is unwilling to give up his power just yet. I was just on my way to see if **that** battle had started. Do you want to join me?" he asked, knowing what the young man's answer would be. "Of course I want to join you! Besides, Mom wants to know the results of the finals, too." "Well then, what are we waiting around for? Let's get going!" The two then proceeded into the main hallway, followed by the silent group of Shadow's lackeys. They all approached the glass, in order to see that there was an explanation already in progress.

_**Arena of Shadows: True Netherworld**_

_Then why in the hell did he stage this tournament if he wasn't going to give up the title?_ Nicholai Krichevskoy was extremely quick to vocalize his thoughts to the Overlord. Kormus grinned, shortly before drawing the sword slung across his back. "The reason is simple, Nicholai. I'm just not ready to give up the title yet. If you want it so badly, then why don't you come and _take it_!" the elder vampire roared as he launched himself upward from his balcony. "_Wind Cutter!_" The blow landed, but not where Kormus had anticipated. _Damn! He moved **forward** rather than backwards. What in the name of the Netherworld is his problem?_ The Overlord soon received a reply, but it was not from anyone that he had ever heard before. _Maybe it's because you lied to his face about him becoming Overlord after he won. Maybe THAT is the reason why he is so pissed off at you! Who in the Hell do you think you are!_ came the mental roar of the Overlord. He heard a mental chuckle, and then a reply that chilled him to the core. _Let's just say that I'm an outside observer who wishes that you were gone already. I admire Krichevskoy for what he has done, and I will continue to root for him until the very end._ Little did Kormus know that Krichevskoy was listening in to his mental conversation. However, _Saito_ noticed it almost immediately. He then turned his mind away from the Overlord and directed a question at the other vampire.

_How long have you been listening to the two of us?_ Krichevskoy was a little stunned by the question, but he quickly hid his disbelief. _I've been listening the entire time. So you think that I deserve the title of Overlord? Deserve it? I think you have truly EARNED it by your actions today. Why, thank you, young master. By the way, exactly WHAT are you?_ There was a brief pause. _To tell you the truth, I am a draconic._ Krichevskoy smiled suddenly. _Is it possible that you could send me some of your power over this connection of ours? I'm not sure whether I can handle taking on the Overlord alone._ Krichevskoy heard a mental chuckle, and then received his reply. _Some of my power? You can take ALL of it, Krichevskoy. I admire your style, and I definitely look up to you. Take all that you need from me. All that I ask is that you return my power after you are finished._ The vampire smiled and chuckled lightly to himself. _With absolute pleasure, my boy. By the way, I have just one question for you…_ There was another brief pause. Then… _I'm sorry if I forgot to introduce myself. My full title is Saito Alexander Daniel Michael Nathaniel Alan Jeffrey Onago. Please, just call me Saito._ Krichevskoy grinned openly, and then responded easily. _Thank you for answering my question, before I even had the chance to ask it. WHOOPS! Sorry about that! That's alright, my young friend. Thank you for the power loan, Saito. Anytime, **Master** Krichevskoy._ With that, Saito transferred all of his power to the vampire, and then collapsed. However, when he woke up again, he would be able to perfectly recall what happened next in that fight.

Krichevskoy launched into the air with little trouble. He then started to gather some of his newfound energy into his right fist. His fist began to glow a brilliant red, just before it caught fire. He then launched himself back down at the Overlord. "_BLAZING KNUCKLE!_" he roared as he slammed his fist into the ground. However, the Overlord Kormus was far too fast, and he had already leaped upwards to avoid the attack. What Kormus **didn't** know was that this attack had two parts. He had merely dodged the first portion. He landed right behind Krichevskoy with his sword raised over his head, determined to land a finishing blow to the younger, stronger vampire. It was at that moment that the second part of the attack became all too clear. A pillar of fire shot up from the ground, heavily damaging Kormus and tossing him up into the air once again. He regained control, and then prepared to use one of his nastier techniques. He began the intonation in his mind, and then he roared out to the crowd. "ALL OF YOU! LEND ME YOUR STRENGTH SO THAT I MAY CRUSH THIS FOOL!" There was dead silence for a moment, and then he heard a single voice rising. What surprised him the most was the fact that the voice was _female_. "Why should we help _you_?" Rena sneered, the disgust becoming clear in her voice. "We are all a _little_ tired of you turning around and going back on your word! Krichevskoy won the tournament, now step down and let him take his rightful place!" There were murmurs of agreement from the crowd, and the witch's eyes narrowed terribly. She then began to chant ominously, the accompanying gestures becoming clearer and clearer with each passing second. "BY ALL THAT IS BOTH LIGHT AND DARK; BY THE POWERS UNKOWN AND THE POWERS-THAT-BE: **LEND KRICHEVSKOY MY STRENGTH!**" With that, her eyes opened wide, and she cast her head back as the energy shot from her body to that of the man she had chosen to help. _I love you, Nicholai. Please don't just go and die on me…_ she thought just before she passed out.

The younger vampire began to gather power into both of his fists. _With so much more power, this should be a snap! _he thought as the energy coursed through his veins. _From THIS DAY FORWARD, the attack that I will use to finish this battle will be referred to as **Overlord's Wrath**_, he called out in a mental voice to all demons present. He then flung his arms skyward, and the energy raced away from his hands in order to form the too-familiar orbs of energy. However, after he had released them, the orbs continued to grow in size, strength, _and_ number as Krichevskoy continued to pour his borrowed energy into the attack. He looked up at the Overlord, and it was then that he smiled wickedly.

Overlord Kormus was chilled at the sight of Krichevskoy's smile. The younger vampire's fangs were now on full display, and the wicked gleam in his eyes showed that there would be absolutely **no** mercy in his final attack. In that moment, he mentally saluted the younger vampire. _You win, Krichevskoy. But I'm not going out just yet…_ "_Winged…_" Yet before he could finish intoning the attack, he heard the younger vampire roar three words at the top of his lungs. "_BITE THE DUST!_" Krichevskoy roared, flinging his arms downward in the final launch gesture. All of the energy orbs converged on Overlord Kormus, and they all impacted his body at the exact same moment. _You truly ARE the new Overlord, Nicholai. Good luck, and Godspeed._ With that final thought, the old Overlord's body disappeared, never to return again. All of Kormus' power was transferred in that moment to the man who had defeated him.

Nicholai stood up slowly. _It is finished, and I am Overlord now. At long last, I can begin the task of uniting the worlds in peace._ He searched the stands for one particular face, and he smiled when he saw Rena's green eyes glittering with renewed strength. He then looked upwards, towards the place where the other voice had come from. _Thank you, Saito Onago. You will not be forgotten._ The new Overlord than turned back towards the crowd. "You are all dismissed," he said, his voice ringing out in the silence. "This is a day that will be remembered throughout ALL of history!" At this statement, everyone in the crowd stood up and cheered. There was a new Overlord in the Netherworld.

_**Hall of Prophecies: Draconia**_

"_And so it was through the strength granted to him by others that the Overlord Nicholai Krichevskoy defeated his opponent and claimed the title for himself._" Alexander Critios, Recorder of all draconic history, put down his pen and smiled. _I wonder how Saito is faring_, he thought as he left his study once more. It had been three hours since the scrying glass had clouded over. Three agonizing hours in which Saito had yet to stir from his place on the floor, just in front of the glass. Shadow's group of lackeys had long since departed, satisfied that they had seen Saito passed out on the floor. As Alexander's steps turned towards the main portion of the Hall, he wondered how he was going to explain _exactly_ what happened when he went into class on Monday. His thoughts were interrupted when the door to the main Hall opened, and Saito walked out, his long stride making it obvious that he was in an excellent mood. "I take it you had a nice rest?" asked his mentor, a hint of amusement in his voice. "I slept fine," came the response. "I never knew that Krichevskoy was so powerful on his own." The older draconic looked at his pupil, a little puzzled by his statement. "What do you mean by _that_?" "Well, for starters, I _did_ see the end of the fight. You saw how large his final attack was, didn't you?" "Of course I saw how large that thing was!" "Well, I heard what he was thinking just before he flung his hands upward." Alexander looked at his prize pupil in disbelief. "WHAT! But that's impossible! You were out cold at that point!" Saito chuckled, and then he raised his head in order to look into his teacher's green eyes. "His last thought before he launched that attack was, and I quote: '_From THIS DAY FORWARD, the attack that I will use to finish this battle will be referred to as **Overlord's Wrath**_.'"

Alexander shook his head in amazement. _So THAT is why he was out cold! He sent his energy to Krichevskoy!_ Alexander looked at Saito, pride shining in his eyes. "I am extremely proud of you, my young friend. Besides, the Oricaltos wants to see you." At the mention of the leader of all draconics, Saito's eyes widened. "You mean that he actually wishes to speak to ME! That's impossible!" "No, it is not, Saito Onago," came a voice from just beyond the young mage's line-of-sight. He dropped to one knee, and bowed his head. "Oricaltos Nathaniel! I didn't expect to see you here! Please accept my sincerest apologies," Saito said, his trembling voice betraying how nervous he really was. The amber-eyed leader merely smiled. "There is no need for that here, Saito. Even _I_ am considered a guest within these halls. Rise, my young friend. There is much that we need to discuss." Saito slowly stood up, and then looked at the leader of all draconics. He was an imposing figure, standing at six feet even. His ebony hair was cut short, and his amber eyes glittered with intelligence and authority.

The Oricaltos led the young Kaiser to a room just above the main Hall. He then proceeded to take a seat in one of the three chairs located in the room. They were all arranged around a small, circular table. He gestured for Alex and Saito to take the other two seats, and he then turned to Saito. "Alexander told me what happened today during the final battle for the title of Overlord. He gave me all of the information he could. Now I want _you_ to explain exactly what happened back there. There's no need to blurt everything out at once. Just tell me what happened, as you experienced it for yourself." Saito looked over at his mentor, who nodded that it was alright. He turned back towards the Oricaltos, and began his tale. "Well, it all started when I heard exactly what the old Overlord was saying. It made me extremely angry, and I knew I had to do something. So I…"

_Half an hour and several questions later:_

The Oricaltos nodded at his companion's comment, and then turned back towards Saito. "So, just to sum things up: You _transferred_ your own energy to Nicholai Krichevskoy over more than a million miles using a _telepathic bond_?" The young mage nodded, and then the Oricaltos smiled. He turned to Alexander, the smile still very evident on his face. "It appears that you were right after all, Alexander. He will make an excellent Oricaltos one day." Upon hearing this, Saito's eyes widened immensely. _ME! As ORICALTOS of all draconics? What is he talking about?_ He was fairly quick to voice his own thoughts. The older draconic merely smiled. "Alexander and I were discussing this shortly after your battle with Shadow. You have an incredible amount of power, for being only a teenager. I can't imagine how strong you will be when you reach your full potential." The mage bowed deeply to his leader, and then lifted his head, smiling. "If I may take my leave, my liege, then my mother wished to learn exactly how the finals turned out." Nathaniel smiled, and then made a shooing gesture at the young man. "Get home, Saito. Don't leave out a single detail when you tell her how it ended." The young mage stood up, snapped a crisp military salute to the older man, and then sprinted out of the room, his footsteps fading as he got further and further from the room. Nathaniel sighed aloud, and then turned to his old comrade. "I wish that I had half of his energy. Ah well, such is life." He then smiled. "How about we go back to my place and have a few drinks?" The Recorder of Histories smiled. "What are we waiting for? Lead the way, Nathaniel."

_**Onago House: Draconia**_

"Mom! The tournament is over!" Saito yelled as he crossed into the house. His mother turned towards the door, and then she started at her son's appearence. "Saito! What took you so long? Your father was starting to wonder whether you had gone off and died." "Doesn't _that_ just figure. Well, Krichevskoy won the tournament, but the old Overlord didn't want to give up his power. I was really pissed when I heard the Overlord's explanation, and I wanted to do something to adjust his attitude. So I decided to try and aid Krichevskoy in any way possible. I created a mental link through the scrying glass and called the old Overlord an idiot. Apparently, Krichevskoy was listening in on the conversation, and he heard me. I felt his presence, and I let him know that I wanted to help. He asked for some of my extra energy, and I gave ALL of it to him. The two of them exchanged about three blows before Krichevskoy decided to end it. Someone else, I'm not exactly sure who, also sent their energy to Krichevskoy. He used all of that energy for one final attack, just before the Overlord could launch a _Winged Slayer_. The former Overlord was destoryed in a single instant, and Krichevskoy finally ascended." Serena Onago smiled at her only child. "I am very proud of what you did, Saito. You helped out someone who truly needed your aid. I don't exactly care what your father thinks, because you did what YOU felt was right." "Thanks Mom. Besides, Master Alexander wants me to tell the class what happened at the end. Well, I better be heading upstairs. I still have work to do." With that, Saito disappeared into his room to work on an English paper.

_We pick up on Monday. School is just beginning, and the students are waiting eagerly to hear the results of the tournament._

_**Hall of Prophecies: Draconia**_

Alexander walked into the classroom that day, and was immediately greeted with one particular question: "Who won the tournament? Who is the new Overlord of the Netherworld?" The elder draconic smiled, and then he scanned the classroom. He was looking for one face in particular, and then he saw the young Kaiser sitting near the back of the room. He smiled, and then spoke simply and easily. "Well, I only know part of the events that transpired there." This was greeted with groans from his students. "However, there **is** someone in this class who can tell us everything that happened during that final battle. All I can tell you is this: Soriens fell to the blade of Krichevskoy, but the old Overlord refused to give-up his position. Saito, the floor is yours." With that, the older draconic took his seat in front of the class, and he waited. Everyone turned to look at the newest Kaiser, and Saito smiled. "Well, the old Overlord merely wanted to see who his greatest opposition was, in order to eliminate them and keep all of the power for himself. However, he got much more than he bargained for when he tried to cross Krichevskoy..."

_Half an hour later:_

"Are there any questions?" Saito looked around the room, and he noticed that every hand was waving in the air, trying to catch his attention. His gaze wandered the room, until it settled on one pale-skinned draconic. "Shadow?" The slightly pale draconic lowered his hand, and then he asked his question. "Actually, it's more of a comment than a question. I noticed that you mentioned Krichevskoy's name right before our fight finished. Was that an allusion to..." "Overlord's Wrath? Yes, it was an allusion to the Overlord's trademark attack. Any other questions?" Saito asked as he looked around the room. His eyes settled on one of the younger students, and he smiled. "Yes, Jacen?" "Well. I was wondering if you be willing to demonstrate an attack for us." The rest of the students nodded eagerly, and Saito suddenly grinned. "Sure. Which attack do you want me to demonstrate?" he asked as they all headed down towards the practice yards. "Well, you said a few things about this _Overlord's Wrath_, and we were wondering if you would be able to pull off something like it, just to give us a visual." Saito's grin widened suddenly. "All you really need to do is ask Shadow what HE saw when I used it against him. However, since we are all out here, I might as well demonstrate it for all of you." With that, he began to gather energy into his fists. When he had gathered enough, he flung his hands outward and upwards, releasing the energy orbs to hover in mid-air. They continued to grow in size, until Saito decided that it was enough. He flung his hands downward as he roared those three final words of release. "BITE THE DUST!" The energy orbs simultaneously converged on the practice dummy, disintegrating it instantly. Saito turned around and bowed, as the rest of the class applauded his work. "Are there any other questions? No? Dismissed." With that, Saito turned away from the remains of the practice dummy, and promptly crossed the field to the main portion of the Hall. He whistled lightly as he crossed the grounds, but then he noticed that there was a group of students closing in behind him.

Saito didn't even need to turn in order to know who was stalking him. "What do you want, Kai?" he snarled, suddenly allowing his temper to rise. "We decided that you deserve a beating after what you did to Shadow. So we decided to administer it ourselves." "And exactly HOW were you planning on beating me up when you know that you can't TOUCH ME!" Saito roared as he whirled around, his body already blurring. Kai and the rest of the gang never saw him, but they all felt the blows that Saito landed. When it was over, Saito was the only one left standing. He chuckled to himself before turning his footsteps towards home. "Amatuers."

_The next day:_

Shadow looked over the rest of hs gang before slowly shaking his head. "I specifically told you idiots to leave Saito alone. Did you listen to me? _Nooooo._ You just HAD to go and try to beat him up. I can't believe that I actually decided to work with you fools after all that has happened here." He then looked over at Saito, before lowering his head. "I told them to leave you alone." "Ah well. It's just too bad for them that I was in such a foul mood after they had insulted me on the day of the finals." Saito then looked over at Shadow. "As long as we don't cross pahts like that again, then we should all survive until the end of the year. Okay?" Shadow nodded, and then turned back towards the rest of his group. "You heard Saito." They all nodded in agreement, and then promptly took their seats as Alexander walked into the classroom.

_There was never another incident involving Saito and Shadow until the day of the wedding._

_One week later:_

_**Overlord's Castle: True Netherworld**_

"MADERAS!" The Nosferatu hurried into the throne room before bowing to his Overlord. "Yes, King Krichevskoy?" The older vampire smiled at him, before passing over a series of envelopes. Maderas looked down, and almost instantly recognized what it meant. "You mean to teel me that you have already decided to MARRY her?" Krichevskoy raised an eyebrow at the vampire that he had beaten in the semi-finals. "Do you have a problem with my decision?" he asked, a dangerous glitter in his red eyes. "N-n-n-n-n-n-no sir," came the Nosferatu's nervous reply. "Well, get moving then. All of these need to be delivered ASAP." "Yes, my liege," Maderas sighed as he assumed his bat form and set out to deliver the invitations. His first stop was Priere Castle, where he was almost immediately swarmed under by the succubi who were always in residence. Priere was quick to see this, and she rushed out of the throne room. Beating the rest of the she-demons back with her baton, she looked over the distressed vampire before smiling lightly. "Why are you here, Maderas? You usually don't come into these parts."

Maderas lowered his head. He didn't want to look the full-bodied former-human straight in the face. "King Krichevskoy sent me with this," he said as he passed over the envelope. She opened it, looked at the contents, and then she smiled. "Let him know that I will most certainly attend." The vampire bowed to the Alternate Overlord before returning to his bat form for the flight to Beauty Castle. He arrived within two hours time, in order to be greeted by the blonde-haired witch. "Priere sent word that you were coming. What exactly brings you out to this part of the Alternate Netherworld?" "Orders from the Overlord himself," sighed the Nosferatu as he handed the invitation to Marjoly. She opened the envelope, read the invitation, and then smiled. "Will you let the Overlord know that I will be in attendance as well?" Maderas nodded his head, and then braced for a truly unpleasent experience. "Where are you off to next?" "Celestia." "Oh... Good luck getting in to see the Seraph." **"Thanks,"** Maderas responded sarcastically as he took flight once more.

The vampire's next stop was Celestia, and he knew that he was in for a rough time as soon as he passed through the gates. He eyed the three angels who were standing in his path, and then he sighed aloud. "I need to see the Seraph." "WHY should we let you pass?" snarled the youngest angel, a young man going by the name of Tobias. "I have a message from the Overlord that needs to be delivered directly to him." The younger angel stopped and stared at Maderas. "You mean to tell me that you LOST to Krichevskoy? What in the name of the Lord is WRONG with you?" "There is NOTHING wrong with me. I was just too careless when I went into that battle. Now, if you don't mind..." "Out of his way, Tobias," came a fairly stern voice from the main doors to the Inner Sanctum. "Yes, Master Lamington," Tobias sighed as he stepped away from the gates in order to let the vampire pass. The Seraph smiled at Maderas, and then held out his hand. The Nosferatu willingly passed over the invitation, and the Seraph's silver eyes began to dance as he read the personal message. "You are dismissed, Maderas. I will respond on my own. Besides, you have quite a long way to travel in order to deliver the rest of your invitations." The Nosferatu bowed to the Seraph before he exited the main gates, shifting from human to bat form once again.

_The days flew by, and Maderas continued to deliver the invitations. Soon, he had only one left. The special one, which Krichevskoy specifically ordered him to deliver last. The invitation addressed to a certain Kaiser dragon..._

_**Onago House: Draconia**_

"Saito! There's something fairly strange going on down here." "I'll be right down, Mom!" It had been two weeks since Krichevskoy's ascension to the rank of Overlord. Saito had told his parents the entire story, not missing a single detail. His father had been furious, but his mother was very proud of him, so it all worked out in the end. Alexander asked him to tell his story during class that Monday, and he didn't leave out a single detail. The rest of the children, even Shadow and his gang, were impressed by his actions. Shadow had soon after ordered his lackeys to leave Saito alone, after they had tried to beat him up after school. They all came into class the next day, covered in bruises. They had learned their lesson, and they left him alone. Saito hurried downstairs to see what his mother was talking about.

When he reached the foot of the steps, he looked a little surprised at the scene before him. There was his father, trying to crush a fairly large bat against the wall. However, the bat was constantly escaping his grip, trying desperately to reach the staircase. It stopped when it saw Saito, and then it promptly rushed over to him. The bat was swiftly followed by Kaido, who had a murderous look in his eyes. However, he was stopped cold when he looked into the darkening eyes of his only child. He snarled, and then turned towards the door. "I'm going out for a walk. Don't expect me to be back until later." With that, he stormed out of the house, slamming the door behind him.

Saito turned towards the bat. It was then that he noticed the letter tied to the mammal's leg. He reached out and untied the envelope from the bat's leg, and then nodded at it. The flying mammal promptly fled, disappearing back into the darkness.

_**Overlord's Castle: True Netherworld**_

Maderas settled back into his usual shape before looking at King Krichevskoy. "The last of the invitations has been delivered, as you originally ordered, sir." Krichevskoy turned, and then noticed that Maderas was rubbing a bruise just above his left eye. "Where did you get _that_ from?" the Overlord asked, a little puzzled. The Nosferatu winced before replying. "If I had known that Onago's old man hit _that_ hard, I would not have volunteered." Krichevskoy suddenly cracked a smile. "I take it he got the letter, then?" "Yes, King Krichevskoy. He received your message. If you don't mind, I think I need to go take a VERY long nap." The Overlord chuckled, and then made a shooing gesture. "You did what I asked, Maderas, and for that, I thank you. You are dismissed." The Nosferatu bowed, and then promptly left the room.

_**Back at the Onago household:**_

Saito looked at the envelope for a few moments, and then he opened it very carefully. He held his other hand under the envelope as he turned it upside-down. Something dropped into his hand, and he looked down at it in shock and surprise. It was a small charm, carved in series of cuts, so that it resembled a few of the energy orbs from the Overlord's trademark attack. _How in the hell did he find my address?_ Saito thought as he put the charm down on his desk. He then withdrew the letter, and began to read. It had been written in an elegant hand, and Saito immediately knew who had sent the letter. This was confirmed by the lone signature at the bottom of the message. The letter read as follows:

_Young master Saito Alexander Daniel Michael Nathaniel Alan Jeffrey Onago,_

_You are hereby cordially invited to the joyous occasion of the wedding of Nicholai Alexander Krichevskoy and Rena Marie Solvaris. The wedding will be taking place approximately two months from this day, on All Hallow's Eve. A response is requested by the thirteenth of September. We both hope to see you at this event._

_**Nicholai Alexander Krichevskoy & Rena Marie Solvaris**_

However, that was not the end of the message. Saito had noticed that the back was also covered in writing, and so he turned the invitation over in order to see the rest of the message.

_Saito,_

_I never got to say thank you for the energy you so willingly gave me during my battle with the Overlord. So, I am requesting that you come and deliver your response in-person. I wish to see the young man who saved my life face-to-face. You don't need to respond immediately, my young friend. Take as long as you need before you deliver your response. **However**, please do not wait until three weeks before the wedding to respond! _(At this, Saito snorted aloud.) _I will be awaiting your response. I hope to see you soon. Take this pendant as a sign of my appreciation._

_Sincerely,_

_**Nicholai Alexander Krichevskoy**_

Saito looked at the message in astonishment. _He wants to meet ME?_ he thought to himself as he went pounding down the stairs. "Mom! MOM! Guess what I got?" he called as he came into the kitchen. "What is it, Saito?" his mother asked, a little curious. "What did that flying mammal bring you?" "Well, he brought me a pendant that resembles part of the _Overlord's Wrath_, and he also brought me an invitation to King Krichevskoy's wedding." "What are you talking about? You mean he has already chosen a bride?" The young mage smiled at his mother. His own auburn hair and blue eyes both came from her side of the family. "He wants me to _personally_ deliver my response to him," the young man said with a smile. Serena Onago smiled at her only child. "Well, I think that you should go and tell him yourself that you _will_ be attending," she stated, a wicked gleam in her brilliant blue eyes. Saito's eyes widened. "You mean that _I_ can go? What about Dad? What is he going to say?" "It's about time that your father learned that he needs to pick on someone who is his own size and strength. Stand up to him, like you always have. Don't worry if you injure him too badly. Otherwise, he won't learn anything." The young mage looked at his mother, gratitude shining in his eyes. "Thank you, Mom. If he doesn't see things my way, can I still go?" he asked, unsure of her answer. She smiled once more, and then nodded. "I'd better go prepare, then. Could you let me know when Dad gets back?" She nodded, and then turned back towards the door, waiting for her husband to return home.

_Two hours later:_

"Serena! I'm back!" Kaido called as he entered the living room. "Saito wants to speak with you about something," his wife called from the kitchen. "He's up in…" "Mom? I'm right here," he said easily. "Oh. Never mind, Kaido! He'll be right in." With that, Saito strode into the living room. His father looked at him, his eyes glittering wickedly. "What do you want this time, son?" Saito took a deep breath, and then he began to speak. "Dad, I came here for a reason. I am going to be going away for a while." "And exactly WHERE do you think you are going?" his father demanded. Saito sighed inwardly. _I knew that it was going to come to this._ "I'm going to the Netherworld." "WHAT! I'm afraid that you are sorely mistaken, KID!" his father snarled, rising from his seat. Saito shrugged, and then spoke again. "I knew that you would never understand. THAT is the reason why I am going, whether you like it or not!" Kaido was on his feet, angrily yelling at his son. "I absolutely FORBID you to leave this house without my say-so!" "I don't care what the hell you think. I am going, and there is NOTHING you can do to stop me!" Saito yelled back at his father. It was then that the two began to exchange blows.

Saito was the first to land a blow, a nasty right hook to his father's jaw. Kaido retaliated by kicking his son in the stomach. He did _not_, however, anticipate that Saito would catch his foot and twist, snapping his ankle. Saito then slid closer to his father, and began to charge energy in his right fist. He then landed a blow on his old man's sternum, unleashing the blast in a single movement. "_FIST OF FATE!_" Kaido had the wind knocked out of him, and he landed heavily on the floor. "Why are you leaving?" he asked his son, a little puzzled. "King Krichevskoy invited me to his wedding, and I plan on attending." "But WHY are you leaving so early?" "That is because the Overlord wished for me to deliver my response in-person, okay?" Kaido grunted, and then looked at his son closely. "What day is the wedding?" "Halloween. Why does it concern you, old man?" Saito asked. Kaido just grinned. "If you are truly dead-set on attending, then you had better be ready to defend yourself on the day of the wedding. I plan on crashing the party, and I'm going to be backed by an army. You better be ready, my boy!" Kaido then headed upstairs, groaning from the final blow that his only child had landed. Saito poked his head into the kitchen and gave his mother a knowing smile. "There's no need to worry, Mom. All of the furniture is intact." Serena smiled at him, and then leaned over to kiss him on the cheek. "Just be careful, okay?" "I will be." Saito headed back to his room in order to grab his bag. He made sure that he had everything packed, and then headed back down the stairs.

His mother, Serena, was waiting at the foot of the steps. "Saito, will you follow me for a moment?" The young man, intrigued by his mother's tone of voice, followed her to a room at the very back of the house. She turned and smiled at her only child. "This is where I keep most of my old weapons. Go in, and take your pick." Saito's eyes widened at his mother. "You actually had weapons? I thought you just defended yourself through magic." His mother shook her head sadly. "Man does not live by sorcery alone. Let's just keep this between the two of us," she said, her voice dropping into a conspirator's whisper. Saito smiled at her, and then dropped his voice so that it matched her voice in volume. "That's fine with me, Mom. Besides, I need to alert the Overlord of Dad's plans for the wedding day. That way, he will be prepared for what is to come." Serena smiled, and then unlocked the door. "Go right ahead."

Saito walked into the room, and his eyes lit up. The walls were covered in weapons of every shape and size. Selecting a few throwing daggers, he stored them in various places on his person. Grabbing a bow and a quiver of arrows, he slung both over his right shoulder. It was at that moment that his eyes lit upon one of the simplest looking weapons in the room. His eyes grew wide. _Is that actually…_"a razor chain?" came a gentle voice from the doorway. He turned to find his mother smiling at his weapon selection. "Yes, THAT is a razor chain. I loved that weapon more than any others, and it was what I always fell back to if my bow or staff failed. Go ahead and take it. It served me well, and now it is time that it served you as well." "You're the best, Mom!" Saito exclaimed as he rushed over to give her a hug. "I will NEVER forget this." She smiled at him lightly. "You better get going. I think Master Alexander will want to speak with you before you leave." "Alright, Mom. I'll be sure to bring back some pictures. And I WILL return home intact. Goodbye." With that, Saito Onago strode out through the front door. One of his greatest adventures had just begun.

_**Flashback Ends**_

"I know that I've been talking for a while. I also know that we all need a break. Take about twenty minutes and go out. Stretch, go to the bathroom, do whatever you have to do. We will meet back here in twenty minutes time. Dismissed."

As everyone got up and stretched, Saito inwardly sighed. _This is only the start of my tale. However, there is much more to come._


	2. Part 2: Of Meeting Krichevskoy

**Disclaimer: **See Part 1.

_Italics_ indicates thought.

**_Bold and italic_** indicates a location.

**Part 2: Of Meeting Krichevskoy**

_When we last left off:_

The battle to crown a new Overlord had finally ended. Aided by a witch and a weredragon, Nicholai Krichevskoy was able to win the title. Vowing not to forget the young draconic, the new Overlord kept his word. Saito was sent a single charm, _and _an invitation to his own wedding. Saito was determined to attend, but he was nearly stopped by his father, Kaido. After defeating his father and saying goodbye to his mother, Saito set out on his own. However, we pick up in the present-day.

_**Present Day: Sacred Altar**_

"Are there any questions up to this point?" asked Saito, looking around the newly reformed circle. Laharl was quick to raise his hand. "Yes, Overlord?" "Well, what happened to you father?" Saito grinned wickedly at the young _damphir_. "Well, I'll explain that when we get to the wedding, okay?" Laharl nodded, and then sat back down. Saito's eyes continued to circle the room, and then they settled on Marina. She lowered her hand, and then asked him one of the simplest of all questions: "What happened to your mother?" Saito laughed lightly. "The last time I checked, she was still alive and well. That was about a week ago. Now, if there are no more questions, I'd like to get back to my story." Seeing no more hands, Saito resumed his narrative.

**Flashback begins**

_**Hall of Prophecies: Draconia**_

Saito stopped at the main door to the hall, and knocked three times. "You know that the door is always open for you, Saito," his mentor said with a smile. "Come in. There are a few things that we need to discuss before you set out for the Netherworld." Saito nodded and stepped into the building. He then proceeded to follow his teacher into Alexander's personal study. The older draconic closed and locked the door, and then turned back to his prize pupil. "The Netherworld is a very dangerous place, especially for someone who does not know their own way around. You must be very careful about where you tread, and be even more cautious of the monsters who cross your path. Some will want to befriend you, while others merely wish to destroy. However, this is not the most important thing that I need to tell you." Alexander sighed, and then sat down at his desk. "A long time ago, there was a demon going by the title of Lord of Terror. He had just attempted to dethrone the Overlord. In response, the Overlord ripped the Netherworld in half, and sent the half containing the Lord of Terror spinning off into space. Over time, this half managed to regenerate, forming what we know as the Alternate Netherworld. There was still one link between the two planes, and this place was referred to as the Cave of Ordeals." He then looked up from his desk, a very somber expression on his features. "The reason why I am telling you this is because we are not sure whether the normal Dimensional Gate will send you to the true or the alternate. Either way, make sure that you find your way to the True Netherworld, and enter the Overlord's Castle. That is all that I have to tell you. Good luck, and Godspeed."

Saito nodded at his mentor, and then headed out towards the back of the Hall. He stopped before the Gatekeeper and smiled lightly. The Keeper of the Keys was an old friend of his, and he smiled down at the young Kaiser. "Where to this time, Saito?" "I need to get to the Netherworld. Do you think this thing will actually work?" he asked, a little worried. The Keeper smiled and nodded his head. "I'm not sure whether it will take you to the True or the Alternate, but I know that you will still end up in the Netherworld." Saito smiled and thanked the Keeper for the information. He then stepped into the gate, transporting away from the only home he had ever known.

_**Barren Wastelands: Alternate Netherworld**_

Saito looked at his map and frowned. _It appears that I ended up in the Alternate Netherworld. NOW all I have to do is find my way to the Cave of Ordeals, and then make my way through to the True Netherworld. I just hope that it won't take me forever._ The young mage sighed aloud, and then started to make his way towards one particular structure in the distance. He reached out with his mind, and easily bridged the gap between himself and his mentor. _Master Alexander, do you have any sort of information on the Alternate Overlord? Yes, I happen to have that information right in front of me. Be very cautious, Saito. She is very dangerous. SHE? You mean that this Netherworld has a female Overlord? I'm afraid so, my young friend. She also happens to be allied with a very powerful human witch, going by the name of Marjoly. Do you happen to have the name of the Overlord in front of you? As a matter of fact, I do! Her name is Priere. Hmm… Interesting name. Well, that's all I have to ask for now. I'll call you back if I need anything. I will be waiting for you, Saito. Don't disappoint me._

_**Throne Room: Priere Castle**_

The witch and the she-demon were arguing once again. "What do you mean by saying that _I_ am too lenient?" Priere snapped, her red eyes flashing at her former rival. Marjoly's violet eyes glittered angrily as she responded. "For starters, those demons in the Cave of Ordeals are just sitting around doing NOTHING! Second, you are neglecting your duties to the Dark Assembly." "I don't want ANYTHING to do with those idiots! They have always gone against me, ever since I came to power." The two women were interrupted when the newest succubus came into the room. "What is it, Mina?" The young demon bowed her head to both women before turning to the Alternate Overlord. "Someone was spotted coming from the Barren Wastelands." "Well, **that** is certainly unusual." "It gets even better, Lady Priere. It's a young man." Marjoly looked at Priere and raised an eyebrow. She then turned to Mina. "Judging by his direction of travel, where do you think he is headed?" "It appears that his destination is the Cave of Ordeals." Priere suddenly looked over at Marjoly, and grinned wickedly. "How about we have some _fun_ with this boy before we let him try the Cave?" The Witch of Beauty Castle returned the Alternate Overlord's smile. Her eyes glittered wickedly as she turned towards the door. "Mina, make sure that our _guest_ makes his way here. Don't get in his way, and spread the word that the others are to do likewise. I want to see how powerful this young man is, without him being beaten-up too badly." The young succubus bowed to both women, and then rushed off to relay their orders.

_**Just outside of the back door:**_

Saito breathed a sigh of relief. It had been three hours since he had arrived in the Alternate Netherworld, and he had finally arrived at Priere Castle. He put his hand on the door, and was surprised when it opened before him. _Wait just a minute! I thought it would have been locked. It seems to be that someone is…_"expecting you?" finished a voice coming from the shadows just beyond the door. Saito let the razor chain drop into his hand, but then he hesitated. _I might as well see what the Alternate Overlord wants with me_, he thought as he stepped through the door. "Do you happen to know where the Overlord is right now?" he asked, a little worried. "She is in the throne room at this time. Follow me, and I will take you directly there." The young succubus then proceeded to lead the draconic deeper into the castle, and she finally stopped at a set of ornately-carved double doors. "She is expecting you," the succubus said, a teasing grin on her face as she vanished back into the darkness. Saito sighed aloud, and then pushed open the door. _Well, here goes nothing! I just hope that I am strong enough for this…_

_**Inside the throne room:**_

Saito had taken one step into the throne room when he realized that something was wrong. He immediately ducked, and that action saved him a MASSIVE headache. The spinning baton brushed his hair before returning to its mistress. "Darn it! Why did he have to duck right then?" "It appears that he is able to sense when something is amiss, Priere. We may be in for more of a fight than YOU originally anticipated." You're probably right, Marjoly. But you have to admit that he IS cute." Saito spun towards the voices, his right hand already starting to twirl the length of razor chain until it began to make a whistling sound. He then launched one end of the chain in the same general direction that the voices were coming from. What happened next surprised him! He suddenly felt the chain go taut, and then he was being yanked after it! He attempted to gain some sort of traction, but the smooth floor denied his feet any sort of purchase. _I never knew that I would have to do this, but I guess I have no choice_, he thought as he transferred the chain to his left hand, and then began to charge energy in his right. He then smiled wickedly as he allowed his feet to lift off the ground, propelling him even faster. Just as he reached the end of his trip across the room, he unleashed his attack. "_FIST OF FATE!_" The blow connected with something soft, and he heard a vicious curse that would be inappropriate to reprint here. He also felt the hold slightly loosen on his chain, and he yanked back hard. The razor sharp chain cut across Priere's palms as it slid back to its new master. The Alternate Overlord stared at the young mage hard, and it was at that moment that Saito noticed two pairs of eyes glittering at him in the darkness. There was one pair of violet eyes that was seemingly laughing at him, and then there was the other pair of eyes. This pair was blood-red, and Saito immediately guessed that this was the one who had taken his blow, because that pair was narrowed to mere slits with rage. _Aw CRAP! I have to find a way to get out of here with my skin intact! _he thought as he prepared to defend himself using his own magic skills.

Priere was glaring daggers at the young man who had punched her. Then, as if to add insult to injury, he yanked back his weapon, and the razor sharp links had bitten into her palm as they slid back to him. She began to spin her baton at a fairly rapid pace, and it began to create mirages of itself. "_Spirit Wind!_" she called out as the mirages became real and went spinning towards the newcomer. He raised his right hand and folded his fingers in towards his palm and then unfolding them one-at-a-time. When he had finished doing this for all five fingers, he then snapped his wrist, as if he were shaking water off of his hand. Both her eyes and Marjoly's widened at what happened next. His hand ceased to be flesh-and-blood, and it **morphed** into a metal that resembled black steel. Yet it still remained his hand, and he casually swatted her baton away. _I think you were right, Marjoly! This young man IS quite a fighter._ Marjoly looked out at the young man, and then leveled her staff at him. _I never knew that I would actually be forced to cast a spell against him, but it appears that I have no choice._ "_Dark Conjuration!_" The attack knocked Saito nearly across the room. _DAMN! I heard the tales about the witch's special attack, but I never believed that it would HURT this much!_ Saito doubled over, trying to catch his breath. He raised his eyes towards the two shadowed figures. "I never wanted to fight. All I wanted was to get through the Cave of Ordeals. Now I'm not sure if I'll be able to do even _that!_ Thanks a bunch, Marjoly," the young mage said sarcastically, trying desperately to keep from coughing up blood.

The witch looked at the Alternate Overlord. "He's telling the truth. I can sense that much. However," she stated, turning back towards the young man, "I think the _Dark Conjuration_ may have injured him much worse than I intended it to." The young man had barely finished nodding when he was hit with another fit of coughing, this one much worse than the one before. This time, Saito was unable to hold it in any longer, and he hacked up a blood clot. Priere covered her mouth with both hands, in an attempt to keep from being violently ill. Marjoly paled. _Looks like I hit him a little TOO hard… You got THAT much right! What is Krichevskoy going to do to me if I don't show up for another two weeks?_ At that point, Marjoly tilted her head sideways at the young man. "You mean to tell me that you received an invitation, too?" Saito nodded, and then continued coughing up blood. Priere looked at her best friend. Then it hit her. "You mean that he's already chosen a bride? But I thought he just LIKED Rena!" "They decided to get married. That's all that I know about it. Other than that, the wedding is on Halloween, and I need to warn the Overlord that my father is going to be bringing an army." The Alternate Overlord stared at the young man. She then looked over at Marjoly. "We need to get him to Krichevskoy, NOW! We don't have a moment to lose." _Just hang in there, kid. Everything will be fine in the end._ Saito did not hear this last thought of Priere because he had already passed out from the pain.

_**Overlord's Castle: Throne Room**_

"Well, how are we going to get any better at this if we don't practice?" "Rena, it's not even an official practice because the Seraph is not here." Rena sighed aloud before turning towards the portal. She stopped when she saw that the Dimensional Gate was swirling, a clear indicator that someone was coming through. She quickly stepped to one side as two women came through the gate, bearing a young man between the two of them. The first thing that Krichevskoy's bride-to-be noticed was the two distinct pairs of eyes. One pair was a brilliant blood-crimson, while the second pair of eyes were colored violet. She took two steps back and then dropped into a simple curtsy to both women. She then turned back towards the door. "Nicholai, why didn't you let me know that guests were coming?" The Overlord turned, a little surprised. "**I** didn't even know that guests were coming." He then stopped, a little surprised by the other two women. "What are you two doing here so early, Priere?" The Alternate Overlord shrugged before looking worriedly at the young man in the stretcher. "Marjoly hit him with a _Dark Conjuration_ at full strength. I don't have enough power to heal the internal injuries that he received, and I was wondering if you could help me out." Krichevskoy nodded, but then he heard Rena gasp. "What is it , dear?" "This is the one that Alexander told me to watch for. 'Hair of auburn, eyes of ice, and a demeanor that ranges between the two.'" She looked at the Overlord. "This is the Kaiser that we were waiting for."

The Overlord's eyes widened as he looked down at the injured young man. "There is no time to lose, then. If he dies, then all hope is lost." He turned to Priere and Marjoly. "Help me get him to the hospital. It is the best place for him."

_**Netherworld Hospital: Overlord's Castle: True Netherworld**_

Marjoly and Priere both looked on worriedly as Saito was gingerly transferred from the stretcher to a wheeled gurney. He was then rushed away, into the deeper recesses of the hospital. Marjoly turned and looked at the Overlord. "He mentioned something about personally responding to your invitation, and he also wanted to tell you something else." "What else did he want to tell me, Marjoly?" The young witch turned away from Krichevskoy, her head bowed. "I thought it would be best if he told you himself..._if_ he ever wakes up again," she added sadly. Krichevskoy lifted her chin gently, meeting her own violet eyse with his own blood-red ones. "All we can do now is hope and pray. The healers will do what they can, but the rest is up to our young friend. If he truly has the will to live, then he will pull through."

_Three weeks later, after much prayer and many hours of lying prone in bed:_

"Ugh… My head…" Saito opened his eyes to find that he was lying in a bed in an unfamiliar place. He looked around, hoping to find something to help him get up. However, the door opened at that very moment, and Saito was met with the gaze of two pairs of red eyes, one pair of green eyes, and another single pair of violet eyes. "I had a feeling that you would wake up sometime today. I take it that you are still a little weak from your ordeal?" came a familiar voice. Saito struggled to sit up in bed, but he failed miserably. Slumping back against the pillow, his eyes glittered dully as he spoke. "I'm sorry if I'm not exactly…in the best condition…to greet someone…of your stature…King Krichevskoy," the young hybrid rasped. _I thought I had died back there. Everything was all white, and I was getting kind of scared._ Nicholai chuckled, and then he looked down at the bed-ridden young man. "When Priere and Marjoly arrived at the same time, I was a little surprised. When I saw that they were bearing someone else, I HAD to know exactly why you were in that condition." Marjoly sighed and then spoke up. "I explained what happened and gave him your reasons for coming." Saito smiled at the blonde-haired witch, before reaching out with his mind. _Thank you for explaining everything. I also want to thank you for saving my life._ Marjoly smiled at the young man. "Thank you, young man." At this, Krichevskoy rounded on her, but he stopped when he heard Saito "speak" again. _I didn't tell either of them who I am, King Krichevskoy. It's my own fault that they do not know my name._ He then directed his thoughts back towards Marjoly and Priere. _I sincerely apologize for my lack of manners. I would give you my full title, but that would take too long. Please call me Saito, as that is my first name._ Both women nodded, and then Saito narrowed his thoughts back to Marjoly. _I had always heard the legends about a blonde-haired, violet-eyed, full-bodied witch who helped to rule the Alternate Netherworld. You are even MORE beautiful then the legends originally claimed._ At this, the witch could not keep the blush from her face. She hid it by quickly bending over to kiss him on the forehead. _Thank you, young master Saito._

The draconic smiled, and then turned his head to look at Priere. _I did NOT originally anticipate that the Alternate Overlord would be female. My sincerest apologies in that regard. Other than that, you are much stronger than you appear. You are also every bit as beautiful as your companion._ It was now Priere's turn to blush. She followed Marjoly's example in hiding her blush, and Saito felt his own face turn a deep red. The two women looked at one another, and then they both started to giggle. Saito turned back towards the Overlord at that moment. "How long…was I out?" Krichevskoy sighed. It has been three weeks since you received the invitation. Today is September twenty-first." Saito groaned aloud. "I did NOT anticipate being out for that long." Rena smiled at him. "To tell you the truth, I thought you would have been out for much longer. Some of those internal injuries were _brutal_. It was a miracle that you turned out to be alright." The young mage chuckled dryly before finally managing to sit up. "I'm stronger than I look."

With that being said, Saito managed to lever himself out of bed. However, as soon as his feet hit the floor, he slumped over. Cursing under his breath, he fought to stand on his own two feet, without the support of anyone or anything else. To say the least, he failed **miserably**. Krichevskoy chuckled aloud before turning to the Alternate Overlord. _Priere, help our young friend here. I don't NEED any help! Help him anyway._ The draconic continued to mutter under his breath as he wrapped one arm around Priere's shoulder for support. He then raised his eyes to the Overlord. "Did I miss anything important while I was out?" he asked, a little puzzled. It was now Rena's turn to chuckle lightly. "All you missed were a few practices. We can't really get anything done until the Seraph arrives anyway." At this, Saito's eyes widened tremendously. _The SERAPH! You must be JOKING me!_ He was fairly quick to voice his own thoughts, and Krichevskoy tilted his head to one side in astonishment. "What! Did you actually think that I was going to ask for some lesser priest to perform the ceremony?" "Whoops! My sincerest apologies, King Krichevskoy. I completely forgot about it." Saito looked over at Marjoly, and then remembered his second reason for coming. "Your majesty, I really hate to be the bearer of ill news, but it appears that we will be attacked on your wedding day." "Really? And WHO, might I dare ask, is going to be attacking us?" Saito sighed aloud, and then stated his answer in the simplest of terms: "My father. He is massing an army, and he will be here by Halloween."

Krichevskoy stopped, and then he thought for a few moments. "Well, then we had better be prepared for a fight." He looked over at Saito, a smile slowly appearing on his face. "I'm putting you in charge of organizing the defenses when everyone arrives." Saito looked a little puzzled. "Why? Is everyone going to be arriving early for the wedding?" Krichevskoy smiled. "As a matter of fact, yes. That is why I put in the little side note about not waiting until three weeks before the wedding to respond." "So, you were anticipating that something like this would happen?" "Yes." Saito sighed, and then bowed his head. "It shall be done, Overlord." Nicholai smiled, and then turned to Rena. "Dear, do you mind going to go fetch that blade?" Rena looked at her chosen, a puzzled look on her face. "Which one are you talking about?" Then it dawned on her. She blushed a bright red before curtsying lightly. "I'll be right back," she called as she left the room. Saito looked at the Overlord quizzically. "What blade are you talking about?" The Overlord turned and smiled at the draconic. "Do you remember when I fought Overlord Kormus?" "Of course I remember that! I don't think that I will ever be able to forget it!" "Well, it's a bit of a long story. But, to get straight to the point, Kormus willed his sword to, and I quote, 'that draconic who helped Krichevskoy become who he is today.'"

Saito raised an eyebrow. "You have GOT to be kidding me! He actually had that in his will?" "If you want, I could show it to you…" "No thanks, your majesty. I believe you." At that moment, Rena came back into the room, bearing the sword of Kormus. This she passed over to Saito, a small grin on her face. "I heard that you are quite a swordsman. Will you be willing to give a demonstration?" Saito turned to her, a little puzzled. "Where did you hear that?" "Well… I happen to be fairly good friends with a certain draconic going by the last name of Critios…" At the mention of that name, Saito nearly fell over, stunned. "You mean to tell me that YOU know Master Alexander?" Rena smiled. "Yes, I know Master Alexander quite well. He used to visit me when I was a little girl." Saito was a little surprised, but then he came up with an idea.

_**Hall of Prophecies: Draconia**_

Alexander Critios was walking through the main Hall on the way to his study when he heard an all too-familiar mental roar. _MASTER ALEXANDER!_ The elder draconic was stunned. _I'm not even anywhere near the mirror! So how is this possible? I finally realized what I can do with all of this extra power that I have. THAT is the reason why you can both hear and respond to me. Anyway, I have a question for you… Go right ahead, Saito. How long have you known the lady Rena Solvaris?_ The question stunned Alexander, and he had to think for a moment before replying. _I've known her for nearly fifteen years. Why are you asking me? Well, she IS the chosen of our current Overlord… WHAT! You heard me correctly. Krichevskoy is planning for the ceremony to be held on Halloween._ Alexander thought long and hard for a few moments. _This is an interesting turn of events._ He then smiled, before casting his thoughts back to his prize student. _Give both of them my regards, and be careful. Some of the demons frown upon this type of union. No kidding! Well, I guess I'd better go now. Krichevskoy has to meet with the Dark Assembly, and he wants me to be in attendance. I believe that he is going to try and persuade them to see things his way. I guess I'll speak to you at another time, old man. SEE YA!_ With that, the young draconic was gone. Alexander hurried to his study and opened the massive book on his desk. He then grabbed a pen, and began to write, recording all that had transpired so far.

_**Dark Assembly: Overlord's Castle**_

Saito could not keep his jaw from dropping when he saw the size of the assembly chamber. _This place is MASSIVE! And it's packed, too… This might not be a good thing,_ he thought as he looked over at the Overlord. Krichevskoy confidently stepped up to the podium, and the room fell silent. "You all know why I summoned you here today. Know this, however: whether you idiots like it or not, I AM marrying Rena. With that being said, let the vote begin. All in favor of the union, say 'Aye.'" There was a chorus of voices, most of them human. The votes were tallied, and the Overlord grimaced slightly. _Only one quarter. I thought there would have been more…_ "All against…" This time, the noise was overwhelming as three-quarters of the assembly rose to their feet. Krichevskoy sighed, and then turned to Saito. "I knew this was going to happen. That is why I asked you to come with me." Saito suddenly grinned wickedly, allowing his fangs to show. "Shouldn't we dismiss the good senators who were kind enough to vote for you, my Lord?" "Ah, yes. I was just getting to that." The Overlord turned back to the Assembly Hall, and then called out in a loud voice. "All of you who were in favor of the union: you are dismissed. As for the rest of you…" His voice trailed off ominously. "It appears that I will have to use force in order to make you see my point."

The Overlord then drew Longius, and motioned for Saito to draw one of his weapons. The mage grinned as he drew the sword he had received earlier that day. As the senators began to charge, the young draconic put away his sword, and his hand darted towards the pouch at his left hip. He drew forth four insignificant triangles, and then smiled wickedly. He turned to look over at Krichevskoy. "With your permission, Overlord?" Nicholai smiled, and then nodded as he backed away from the young man, leaving him alone to face the charging senators. Saito raised his right hand and then clenched it into a fist, with the back of his hand facing the assembly. At this motion, a few of the smarter senators faltered as they recognized what was about to happen. "We've changed our minds on this one, King Krichevskoy! Can we please leave now?" The Overlord smiled, and then nodded. _At least they know what is good for them._ Saito intoned the names of each gene as he placed it upon the back of his hand. "Infinity. Transcendence. Radiance. Failure. ASCENSION!" As he spoke the final word, he quickly unclenched his fist, and then he transformed. The first thing that Krichevskoy noticed was the sudden increase in size. In a single moment, Saito had gone from being 5'7" to the towering height of 60' tall. His body had changed, and there were now fairly thick black and gold scales all over his body. However, the one feature that had changed the most was the mage's face. It had become much more elongated, and his nose and ears had disappeared. It was fairly flat in appearance, but that was not what surprised the Overlord the most. Rather, it was the coloring of it. The head was completely black, with the exception of a single gold stripe that ran down the center of his face. This stripe was wide enough so that both of his eyes were inside of it. His eyes had reverted to their original ice blue, and they were glittering brilliantly. The Infinity dragon turned towards the Overlord, and then he grinned. His long tail thumped the floor once, sending out a mid-sized shockwave. Saito then spread his wings, and everyone in the assembly hall momentarily forgot to breathe. His wings were ebony on the outside, but the underside of each wing was covered in brilliant gold scales. He looked over at the Overlord, and then he grinned. Krichevskoy heard a low rumbling and jumped back. _Don't worry, Krichevskoy. I'm just laughing at these poor idiots who dared to betray your trust. How about we finish them off together? Agreed, Saito. What do you think I should use? Hit them with Overlord's Wrath. I'm gonna try a different gene combination because I can't exactly move right now._ Saito "descended" briefly, swapping one other gene for the Infinity and removing the Failure gene altogether before ascending once more. "Force. Transcendence. Radiance. ASCENSION!"

Krichevskoy didn't immediately notice anything different about Saito. Then he looked closer, before drawing back in surprise. Saito had sprouted wings and a tail. Other than that, he looked exactly the same. The weredragon looked over at the Overlord. "Are you ready?" "READY? Of course I'm ready! Are you?" In response, Saito crossed both hands before his chest and began an ominous chant that rose in volume as it continued.

"_Sun of day and stars of night:_

_Eternal darkness, eternal light._

_Through all days and powers unending,_

_Through all nights and powers ascending._

_Sun of day, eternal light:_

_Moon of darkness eternal night._

_Powers unknown and powers-that-be:_

_Wild magics I summon thee._

_Alcarve, ansure, alnidrae, ansum._

_Oldave, Antelis, Ankare** TSUNUM**!_"

The silver fireballs raced away from the mage's hands and hovered in the air menacingly. They continued to grow in size and strength, and then Saito looked over at the Overlord, a wicked grin on his face. "All I need to do now is say the words of release." Krichevskoy smiled as he unleashed his own energy to form the _Overlord's Wrath_. "I don't even need to guess what those three words are, because I already use them. _On three. One...Two...THREE!_ "_BITE THE DUST!_"

As the smoke cleared, Saito nodded in satisfaction before he descended back into his human form. He then looked over at the Overlord. "Well, now that it's over with, I'm feeling a little hungry. Do you know any good places to eat?" The Overlord laughed out loud, and then turned towards the exit. "Come on. I know just the place to stop."

_Less than one week later, another monumental arrival put the final defense plan into motion._

_**Dimensional Gate: Overlord's Castle**_

Michael Julius Lamington, the Seraph of all angels, was a bit nervous. This was his first time in the Netherworld, and he had heard all sorts of advice as he headed into the Gate. He forgot all of that advice when he saw the strange group that met him upon his arrival. The first thing he noticed was the eye-color of everyone there. One pair of violet eyes, one pair of green eyes, **two pairs** of red eyes, and another lone pair of eyes. However, this last set varied in color, ranging from nearly clear blue to nearly completely black. The eyes finally settled on a light blue, and the Seraph blinked, a little surprised. "I wasn't exactly expecting a welcoming committee." Rena grinned at this. "We knew that you were coming, and we wanted to make sure that you felt welcome." The Seraph flashed the young woman a gentle smile before turning to look over the rest of the group. There were a few that he recognized from photos in the former Seraph's scrapbook. _Well, both Priere and Marjoly are here, and I already know both Rena and Nicholai. Now, who is this other young man?_ Saito heard the question, and smiled. _I am a four-part hybrid of angel, human, vampire, and Kaiser Dragon. Are there any questions? I have one for you, young man. How in the heck did you get your hair to stay like that?_ Saito laughed aloud, and then his grin grew wider. "I guess it just likes to stay that way. I would give you my full title, but it's rather long. Please, just call me Saito." He then offered his right hand, which the Seraph clasped and shook. "My name is Michael Lamington. It is truly a pleasure to meet you, Saito. I've hear some things about you from Krichevskoy, and I have to say that I am QUITE impressed by the way you handled the Dark Assembly so easily." Saito turned away, a little embarrassed. "Well, what are we waiting for? Let's get this rehearsal started."

The rehearsal went without any problems, and then Saito began to explain exactly what he had planned for the defense. "I happen to be the one who knows draconic tactics best. I also happen to know the temperament of the man who will be leading these forces, so it shouldn't be too hard to figure out tactics." Michael looked a little puzzled. "What are you talking about, Saito?" The young Kaiser looked up at the Seraph, and then he slowly lowered his head. "My father is planning on raising an army, and he intends to be here by the wedding day." The Seraph raised a skeptical eyebrow before asking a question. "Are you certain that your father is capable of raising an army?" "If I wasn't, do you think I would have taken on the task of training the defense forces myself?" Michael pondered this for a moment before he shrugged his shoulders. "Your best guess is as good as mine. However, some of the younger angels insisted on escorting me here, so I believe that I will be sending them over to you for combat training." The weredragon's grin widened at this. "Thank you, Master Lamington. I am sure that they will be a welcome addition to the defense force. Of course, that is if they manage to survive the demons here." Saito then saw the slightly panicked look on the Seraph's face and chuckled lightly. "Don't worry about it, Seraph. I'll make sure that they all survive to see the wedding."

_**Dark Assembly: Overlord's Castle**_

_One hour later, after several introductions:_

Saito looked around the Assembly Hall at the large number of demons and angels who had come to learn tactics. He quietly whistled as he counted exactly how many defenders there would be. _Two thousand, four hundred and sixty-two demons alone._ He then looked over at the one section that the demons were giving a wide berth. Sitting here were a number of angels, both male and female. _Seventy-eight angels in all. That makes a grand total of two thousand, five hundred and thirty defenders in all._ Looking over at the demons, he slowly shook his head. _I'm not so sure as to what the demons are going to do, Nicholai. However, they will soon learn that the time for screwing around and playing pranks on the angels is **over**._

"We are all gathered here for one purpose." The mage's voice rang out over the chatter in the stands, and the Hall immediately fell silent. All eyes turned to him, and he began to speak once more. "Look around you. These are those who made a conscious choice to come here today to learn about the coming threat. These are the demons and angels who have decided to put their own lives on the line in order to preserve the greater good." His eyes swept the Hall, quelling any signs of rebellion. "From this day forward, you will no longer look at each other as merely angels or demons. You will look at each other as comrades in a common cause. You WILL learn how to work together, or you will all pay with whatever you hold dearest to your hearts. Are there any questions?" He looked around the Assembly Hall. Seeing no hands, he began to speak once again. "How many here can use projectile weapons?" Numerous hands shot up, and Saito smiled. _Excellent. This is going to be even better than I originally anticipated._ His smile suddenly turned wicked as he continued to look at his audience. "The first thing you need to know about draconic tactics is the fact that they pride themselves for their aerial abilities above all others. For this reason, you need to ground a draconic in order to have a fighting chance. One of the best ways to do this is to use projectile weapons and spells. Another way to ground a draconic is to wait for him to begin his attack dive, and then counter it with a long weapon, like a spear or staff. Allow me to demonstrate exactly what I mean…"

_**Flashback Ends**_

"Any questions up to this point?" Marjoly and Priere looked at one another, and then both raised one hand. "Priere, you first." "Actually, it's more of a comment than a question. You haven't changed that much since that day." Saito smiled at this, and then nodded. The Alternate Overlord then continued. "Thank you for bringing back memories that I thought I had lost for good." Saito's grin widened, and he bowed in his seat. "You are very welcome, Priere." He then looked over at Marjoly. The witch lowered her hand, and then spoke. "Actually, I have a few questions, if you don't mind…" "Go right ahead." "First, a comment: I noticed what you were thinking when we fought at my place. How could you have forgotten what I looked like?" Saito lowered his head, a little flustered. "Well, I was only really focusing on watching the Overlord. It just completely slipped my mind. I'm really sorry." "That's fine with me. Onto my next question: You mentioned a pendant that Krichevskoy sent you. Do you still have it?" Saito grinned at this, and then he removed the lanyard from around his neck. It was then that everyone noticed the charm resting on the opposite side of the key. The intricately carved piece was lined up perfectly with the orb on the opposite side, and they helped to frame the key. "Does this answer your question?" The witch nodded, and then asked her final question. "What happened to the sword that the Overlord gave you?" Saito winced slightly, and then looked over at the witch. "To tell you the truth: It shattered in my duel against Shadow on the wedding day. It was actually a little sad. Shadow was a LOT stronger than before, and I was a little **too** cautious." He then looked around the room once more. Seeing no other raised hands, he continued with his story.

"Well, the preparations were nearly finished, and I had been training the defense forces for the past three weeks. Then, the wedding day arrived, and ALL of our lives would never be the same…"


	3. Part 3: The Wedding of an Overlord

**Disclaimer: **See Part 1.

_Italics_ indicates thought.

**_Bold and italic_** indicates a location.

**Part 3: The Wedding of an Overlord**

**Flashback Begins**

_**Overlord's Castle: True Netherworld**_

_Well, it appears that the day has finally arrived,_ Saito thought to himself as he got up and stretched. _I don't know exactly WHAT is going to happen, but I know that it won't be easy on any of us._ He walked over to the closet, opened it, and then withdrew the single black tunic that he had been saving. He slipped into it, and then he sighed aloud. "I just hope that everything turns out to be fine in the end." After he had finished belting on his sword and hanging his pendant around his neck, he headed out into the main corridor. Almost immediately, his footsteps carried him towards the throne room. He stopped outside of the door, and fell silent.

_**Inside the Throne Room**_

Nicholai Krichevskoy was nervously pacing back-and-forth across the throne room. _WHY did I have to plan an outdoor wedding? Maybe it's because EVERYONE wants to attend, Overlord? Hmm... Very good point, Saito._ "You can come in now. I'm just a little nervous." Saito smiled and stepped into the throne room. "You aren't the only one who is nervous. I'm just wondering when my father is going to arrive with the army." The Overlord smiled at his young companion. "You don't need to worry about that right now. Let's just get through the ceremony first, and THEN worry about the army. OK?" "That's fine with me." With that being said, the Overlord and the weredragon left the throne room, and headed in the direction of the Caverns of Light. They talked about the defensive arrangements along the way, and Saito was finally able to relax.

_**In the skies over Priere Castle: Alternate Netherworld**_

Kaido looked around, a sneer suddenly crossing his face. _This isn't the True Netherworld! Now the big question is this: how in the hell do we find our way there?_ He turned to look over at Shadow. "Find some sort of portal or Dimensional Gate that will take us to the True Netherworld. We need to arrive before this damn wedding starts. That way, we can eliminate everyone in one swift stroke." Shadow nodded, and then motioned to two of his scouts. The younger draconics nodded, and then spiraled down towards Priere Castle. They both landed, and then the first scout cautiously entered...in order to find that the citadel had been emptied. They relayed the news back to Shadow, and then they proceeded to inspect the entrance to the Cave of Ordeals. "Uh, boss? I think we found what you were looking for." "Excellent! They will have no idea what hit them when I'm finished!" Kaido laughed aloud, and then turned to the rest of the army. "Okay, people. We move out now. When we all arrive, you know the drill." Every single one of the four thousand draconics in the army nodded. They then proceeded into the cave, not knowing that the Overlord had already been warned of their coming.

_**Caverns of Light: True Netherworld**_

"Sir, we just received a message from one of those who stayed behind at Priere Castle. The draconic army has just entered the Cave of Ordeals, and they should be here in a little over two hours." The Overlord nodded grimly, and then relayed the message to Saito. The weredragon grinned. "It looks like he will arrive in time for the reception. Why don't we make sure that it's one he will NEVER forget?" Krichevskoy suddenly cracked a smile. "I LIKE the way your mind works, Saito. I was about to suggest that myself!" Looking at his watch, he started suddenly. "My stars! It's almost time to begin the ceremony!" He looked over at Saito, and issued one last order. "Make sure that the weapons are distributed immediately after the ceremony is complete." "Yes, sir." Krichevskoy then asked the young Kaiser a seemingly irrelevant question. "Do you think I look okay in this?" The young man smiled at the Overlord. Krichevskoy had found his old ceremonial dress uniform, and was wearing it fairly well. The black and gold was an interesting contrast, and Saito couldn't help but grin. "You look fine, Nicholai. Let's get moving, shall we?" The Overlord nodded at his best man (NOW you know why he wanted Saito to personally respond!), and they walked out onto the altar.

The Seraph was already waiting there, prayer book in hand. "A little nervous, Nicholai?" the head angel asked with a smile. However, the Overlord's response killed the grin on Michael's face. "Yeah, I have to admit that I am a little nervous. After all, it's not every day that an army of four thousand is making their way here as we speak." Michael's voice suddenly dropped to a whisper. "When will they be arriving?" "They should be here by the time the reception starts," Saito whispered back. "Well, that's a relief." He then turned towards the main aisle and fell silent. Saito and the Overlord turned and followed the Seraph's example. The procession had started, and the wedding had finally begun. The first two women to walk down the aisle were Priere and Marjoly. The Alternate Overlord was wearing a modestly cut green dress, and she looked gorgeous. Her best friend was equally stunning in a simple blue dress. They stopped when they reached the altar, and Priere tossed a wink at Saito, causing the young weredragon to blush furiously. At that moment, Rena appeared in the aisle, and everyone rose to acknowledge the young woman who would be queen in a matter of moments.

Krichevskoy was at a loss for words, and so was everyone else. The young witch was dressed in a long white gown that shimmered as she moved. The tiny seed-pearls sewn along the hem of her gown winked brilliantly, and she wore a thin lace veil to hide her features. She stopped three-quarters of the way to the altar, and waited for her husband-to-be to descend and lead her up those final few steps. The Overlord was trying desperately to keep his hands from trembling as he came down the steps to stand before his chosen. Rena smiled beneath her veil as they began to ascend the steps once more. "Nervous, my dear?" "Yes, Rena. I am a little nervous. However, it's not the ceremony that worries me right now." Rena winced slightly, and then they reached the top of the stairs. Michael Lamington smiled, and then raised his voice for the invocation. "We are gathered here today to witness the first step towards obtaining peace amongst all the realms. Gathered here are representatives of all **four** major species, to bear witness to this union." Dead silence followed these words as everyone looked around, searching for the final representative. However, none of them thought to look at the altar. Saito smiled, turned slightly, and then winked at the Seraph. Michael smiled, and then he continued with the invocation. "These two here before you, Nicholai Krichevskoy and Rena Solvaris, represent two of these species. I represent the third, and the fourth is also here with us. Let the ceremony begin."

_An hour and forty-five minutes later..._

"Through the powers invested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife. Nicholai, you may now kiss your bride." The Overlord lifted Rena's veil, and then smiled. "I have waited almost too long for this moment." "Both of us have, my love. Now, let's get this over with and get started with the reception." The two kissed, and everyone rose to applaud their new Queen. The Seraph looked out over the assembly once more, and intoned the final phrase. "Ladies and gentlemen. I now present you with King Nicholai Krichevskoy and his lady wife, Queen Rena." With those words, the ceremony finally came to a close, and everyone poured out of the Caverns to the reception area outside. Saito looked over the crowd, and then shook his head sadly. _In fifteen minutes, everything will cease to be fun and games, and then the REAL battle will begin._ He turned to look over at the Seraph. "Is everything prepared, Michael?" "Everything is ready, my young friend. All you really need to do now is issue the weapons." The weredragon nodded, and then the two of them left the altar.

_**Reception Area: Just outside of the Caverns of Light**_

Saito strode over to one of the side tables and then looked around. It was at that moment that he noticed an ominous cloud coming from the direction of the Overlord's Castle. He suddenly raised his voice and roared out to the Overlord. "I CAN SEE THEM!" _Aw, shit! _thought Nicholai as he looked over at the newly appointed commander of the defense forces. "Which direction are they coming from?" "They're coming in from the north. It's typical strategy." "You know what to do, Kaiser." "**YES SIR!**" Saito suddenly started to roar out orders, and those who had volunteered to help defend the party all started to scramble about, swapping their neatly pressed suits for their own traditional gear, and grabbing their weapons from various locations. They all regrouped at the northernmost point of the reception area, and the spear and magic wielders instantly flattened themselves against the ground.

Traditional tactics dictated that the draconics all had to swoop down from their present height in order to attack with swords and spears. They expected an aerial assault, but what happened next shocked most of the troops. Arrows and bullets suddenly began to soar in from random compass points, and Kaido's forces were suddenly faced with an assault they could not stop. He lost twenty-five in the opening salvo, and those losses would be more than enough to turn the tide in favor of the combination forces. When the older draconic's troops began their attack dives, Saito's hand-picked team of snipers scrambled to their secondary positions in preparation for the ground battle to come.

"BLADES UP!" came the single roared command of the young mage. Every single spear wielder suddenly rose and stabbed upwards, catching the older draconic's forces by surprise. Saito smiled, and then he drew his sword as he searched the skies for one particular draconic. It didn't take him long to find the black and crimson wings of his father. He suddenly smiled wickedly, and then he roared out a challenge that would temporarily halt the fighting. "What do you think of my tactics, old man? Are you willing to let your troops be slaughtered from the ground, or are you too much of a COWARD to come and lead them yourself?" There was dead silence for several moments, and then the draconic forces began to land, **away** from the combined demonic and angelic forces. Saito smiled wickedly, his fangs suddenly very apparent. _Well, well, well. It looks like my father is actually listening to me for once. Too bad for him, because there is now no way that he can easily escape without **at least** half of his troops._ He then turned to the forces he had managed to gather and train. "This is it, ladies and gentlemen. It's time that we put our skills to good use, and fight them on **our** terms. Are you ready?" "I'm not so sure about everyone else, but I am more than willing to take these idiots out!" Priere called, twirling her baton menacingly. Marjoly looked over at the Alternate Overlord, and then raised her voice as well. "The mages and skulls are ready and waiting, and I can tell you right now that we are truly prepared." Saito nodded, and then looked over the rest of his troops. "That's two. Now what about the rest of you?" He was almost instantly barraged by everyone else's call that they were truly ready for a fight. He couldn't help but grin at what his father must be thinking.

Kaido was fuming. _How is it POSSIBLE! Saito should be DEAD by now, or at least seriously injured. I told those idiots to take him out! But did they listen to me? Nooo._ He suddenly heard a mental chuckle that chilled him. _Don't be so surprised, Dad. You know how resilient I am. Especially important, I think you forgot where I got that resilience from... Oh really? Then please refresh my memory, BOY. Sure thing, OLD MAN. I got it from **YOU!**_ Kaido suddenly fell silent, and then he turned to Shadow. "Would you please do me a favor and eliminate that sorry bastard? He is no son of mine." Shadow grinned wickedly before he saluted his C.O. "With absolute pleasure, sir." Shadow turned and then strode to the front of the army. Drawing his own scimitar, he prepared to lead the charge. "Everybody ready?" There was silence for a moment. Then: **"CHARGE!"**

However, there was one thing that Shadow never noticed. Nearly forty draconics had dropped to the ground before Kaido began to issue his secondary orders. This group of weredragons, led by an old friend of Saito's, had decided that it wasn't worth fighting a battle that they could not win. They had willingly decided to give-up on their old leader's beliefs in order to preserve life.

"Steady! Steady... NOW!" At this command, the entire front rank braced for impact. However, no one anticipated that Saito would snarl out one last command before the two forces met. "Leave Shadow and my father to me!" Immediately after, the lines finally met, and the REAL battle began. Saito moved without thinking, fighting his way towards the center, and a pair of blood-crimson wings. He turned and brought his blade downward, splitting one of Shadow's elite troopers in half. He then turned and raised his blade at an angle, deflecting a thrown knife away from his face. He reached up, grabbed the dagger, and then proceeded to nail the thrower right between his eyes with the man's own weapon. He continued to cut down his own kind as he fought his way towards the center of the fray.

Shadow was quick to notice that none of his own troops wanted to face the enraged weredragon, and they were clearing out of his path faster than bats out of hell. He grinned wickedly, and then finished with his final Wind Cutter, slicing two Kitty Cats in half and nearly ripping off the arm of a nearby warrior. The darkened weredragon then turned to face his chief rival, who was striding forward with murder in his eyes.

Nicholai Krichevskoy was busy defending his wife's back when he suddenly noticed an open space appearing between the two forces. He looked over, and then his eyebrows creased with worry. _I have a VERY bad feeling about this..._ He was quick to voice his thoughts to his wife. Rena turned right after she finished casting Terra Ice, freezing a gang of approaching draconics from the waist down. She then turned to her husband. Her own expression was a mirror of his. "I think that might be Saito over there," she said, her voice trembling nervously. It was at that moment that she noticed something eerie about the battlefield. It had suddenly fallen quiet. A little TOO quiet.

Priere had just finished launching her third _Spirit Wind_ when she noticed that the battlefield had fallen silent. She turned towards the only source of noise, and then she gasped. _What is he thinking? He can't possibly be able to stop that draconic!_ she thought to herself as she rushed forward to get a closer view of the two fighters.

Saito's eyes had gone from crystal blue to flat black in a matter of seconds. Now, they were glittering slightly as the color darkened even deeper as his rage continued to grow. "I have been waiting FAR too long for this moment," he snarled, his fangs very clearly visible. "You aren't the only one, punk," came Shadow's return snarl. "Let's do this." With a roar, the two bitter rivals charged at one another. Saito stopped short, and then swung his sword upward. The blade intersected with Shadow's vicious downward swing, and then he wound up in order to launch another blow. Again and again, the two blades clashed against one another. The two were matching each other blow-for-blow. But then something happened. Something that no survivors would ever forget. With their blades locked together, Saito was struggling to keep Shadow's edge away from his throat. Shadow grunted, and then twisted his blade upwards. Saito's sword was ripped from his grasp, and he could only watch in horror as Shadow's follow-up blow shattered the weapon.

Saito blinked twice, tears slightly stinging his eyes. _DAMN! How did he get to be so strong? Looks like I might as well finish things off MY way._ He "flickered" both of his hands, transfiguring them into the black steel form that Priere had witnessed. He then drew the razor chain from his belt pouch, and wrapped it four times around his upper right arm for support. _I am NOT going to lose this battle...or this weapon,_ he thought to himself as he looked down at the simple chain in his hands. It was the final gift from his mother before he left on his long journey. _Don't fail me now..._

Shadow was laughing hysterically. _That idiot should have kept a tighter hold on his blade! Ah well. I'll still take satisfaction in killing him even if he is..._"unarmed? I don't think so, asshole!" Shadow suddenly snapped his head up and looked straight at Saito, just in time to feel the sting of something lashing across his cheek. His hand darted upward, and came away bloody. It was then that he noticed that Saito had not only morphed his hands, but he also held a length of chain in his right hand. The mage was spinning it so fast that Shadow could barely see it, but then he snapped it right in front of his rival's nose before bringing it back and holding it before him with both hands. "THIS is a razor chain. And I am going to enjoy killing you with it." Shadow suddenly charged, swinging his sword downwards with all the force he could possibly muster. Saito raised the thin links of chain over his head, and then drew them taut just before impact.

SLICE! The razor sharp links cut through Shadow's scimitar blade as if it weren't even there. The mage then proceeded to wrap the chain around his rival's neck. He then spoke the last words that Shadow would ever hear. "NEVER mess with a razor chain!" Saito then finished drawing the links together. When it was over, his arms were crossed in before him, and his rival's body had slumped to the ground. The head remained balanced on the flat of the chain, and then Saito let it drop. Shadow's head hit the ground with a sickening _thud_, and Saito finally let his arms drop. He looked down for a moment, and then raised his eyes. His voice chilled every other draconic who heard him speak. "One down. And one more to go." He then looked back at his own forces, rage gleaming in his black eyes. **"CHARGE!"**

Saito was at the front, and he lead his troops deep into the draconic lines. Allowing the razor chain to wrap around his right arm, he lashed out with his own claws, inflicting hideous wounds on every opponent he touched. Priere guarded his back, her baton deflecting thrown daggers and magic attacks. The mage stopped for a moment, and unleashed a silver fireball towards the heavens. At this signal, the sniper teams opened fire from their secondary positions. The massive amount of firepower took down another twelve draconics, and severely injured three others. Saito grinned wickedly as he continued to carve his own path. Everything was going according to plan.

Marjoly had just finished casting _Dark Conjuration_ when she felt a tingling on the back of her neck. She immediately whirled around, bringing her quarterstaff crosswise in order to block. Kai snarled as his sword was deflected by the blonde-haired witch. He continued to hack away at her, praying that he could find a way past her defenses. He got lucky on his fifth pass, and he landed a blow just above her right wrist with the flat of his blade. She dropped her guard for approximately two seconds, and Kai slashed her across the chest. Marjoly gasped in shock and shifted the staff to one hand while she tried to staunch the flow of blood with her other arm. The weredragon smiled when he saw the perfect opportunity to attack, and he took it.

Saito was in the thick of things when he heard a sharp gasp come from behind him. He instantly spun on his heels, in order to see that Kai had plunged his sword into Marjoly's chest. With a yell of rage he grabbed the tormenting weredragon and threw him away from the young woman. She promptly collapsed, and Saito knelt by her side. "Are you alright, Marjoly?" he asked, the anxiety clear in his voice. "He nicked…my lung," the young witch groaned, and the young Kaiser immediately noticed that her voice was starting to become more of a gurgle than anything else. He picked Marjoly up and carried her back towards the reception area, where nearly a dozen angels had set up a first-aid station. Giving the unconscious witch to one of the attendants, he then proceeded to tear through the lines, searching for Kai. He found the man viciously attacking Priere, and Saito smiled wickedly. He crept up behind Kai, grabbed the man's throat with both hands, and then crushed his windpipe. He turned around again just in time to see his father rise into the air, followed shortly by the rest of those who truly followed him.

Kaido was stunned. His perfectly laid plans had fallen to pieces when his son finished off Shadow. Now over half of his army was either dead or had already surrendered. It was time to pull out, and unleash his last surprise. "All right everybody! IT IS TIME!" With that, most of the remaining draconics took flight and started to gain altitude. Then, much to the horror of most of the demons below, each one of the three hundred flying draconics shifted from human to dragon form. Saito looked up and smiled. _SO. You finally decided to prove exactly what kind of bastard you are, Dad_, the young mage thought as he noted the form his father had taken. Black with crimson rivulets running all over its body, the Tyrant dragon towered over almost all of the other forms. The mage raised his right hand and issued a single command. "RISE."

At this, a myriad of angels and winged demons in his army spread their wings and suddenly took to the skies. His eyes narrowed as he issued one mental command to the flying squadrons. _Take out as many as you possibly can. Whatever you do, DON'T allow them to form into any sort of pattern._ His order, however, was in vain. Kaido had already directed most of the other draconics into a circular pattern that Saito recognized too well. _I am TRULY sorry, my boy. You left me with no choice but to wipe out everyone that you care about down there. DRACONIC APOCALYPSE!_ As Kaido called the attack, every other draconic unleashed their breath weapons towards the central point of the circle. Here, the blasts merged and waited for the final addition: the blast from a Tyrant Dragon. Kaido released his own breath attack and watched gleefully as it merged with all of the others. The massive energy beam then began it's descent, and Saito knew that he had only moments to act.

Saito allowed his head to drop, and it was at that moment that Nicholai heard his mental sigh. _I never wanted anyone to be hurt. All I wanted was peace, but my father has brought death and destruction. I CANNOT and WILL NOT allow him to harm anyone else!_ "DID YOU HEAR ME, FATHER! I CANNOT AND WILL NOT ALLOW YOU TO HARM ANYONE ELSE! EVEN IF IT _KILLS_ ME, I WILL SEE YOU DEFEATED!" The Overlord's eyes widened as he realized that he could suddenly _see_ Saito's aura. The brilliant energy surrounding the young weredragon began to swirl as he raised his voice in an ancient chant:

"_Powers unknown and powers-that-be,_

_Wild magics I summon thee._

_Powers-that-be, powers that I know well,_

_Wild magics unite and dispel!_"

The blast that emerged from his aura took the form of a white globe that shot skyward, and then fractured. The energy suddenly spread out and fell back to earth, forming a glimmering shield. The wedding guests, and even the draconics, looked on in amazement. The barrier flickered with every color imaginable, and no one could figure out how such a young man had been able to erect such a powerful barrier. Kaido looked on in shock and anger as the apocalyptic blast met the shield and then shattered in every direction. _HOW IS IT POSSIBLE!_ Another twenty draconics switched from their dragon forms to their Warrior forms(Warrior transformations are performed through the use of the Force gene, as Saito demonstrated back in the Dark Assembly) and then dropped to the ground before the Overlord. The youngest laid her sword at Krichevskoy's feet. She then lifted her head and looked into his eyes. Her own were nearly as auburn as the mage's hair, and her hair was raven black. "If we had known that he was the _diralec_, the legendary Blood Shadow, then we would not have come here. Please, forgive me." The Overlord smiled gently at the younger woman. "It's all right. Even _I_ have made stupid mistakes in the past."

Kaido also neglected to notice that Priere and the winged demons had taken down an additional thirty draconics, while the angelic forces had taken down twenty-five. However, there were severe losses inflicted upon the demonic forces, and Priere had to launch an _Antares Requiem_ and two more _Spirit Wind_ attacks in order to keep her forces from being overwhelmed. _If you have any final ideas, NOW would be a good time to use them, Saito! I hear you, Priere. I was just about to launch anyway. LAUNCH! What do you mean by that?_

Saito smiled before he cast his thoughts out to his father. _It looks like you left me with no choice, father. I would have LOVED to crush you using my Kaiser form. However, I think I'll resort to my final for this one. ARE YOU READY!_ With that, he reached into the pouch on his left hip, and drew out four small triangles. He then held up his right hand, and formed an all too-familiar fist. He then began the simple incantation. "Infinity." He placed the first triangle, a brilliant gold one, in the upper portion of the design. "Transcendence." Next was the glittering ice blue triangle, which was placed in the lower left hand portion. After that was a glistening ruby red triangle, which filled in the lower right hand portion, leaving the center triangle for last. "Radiance." The final triangle, however, was the most important of all. It filled in the center of the design, uniting the final three pieces. This final triangle was flat black, with absolutely no shine. "Failure." It was immediately after this that he spoke the final word of release, the word that would begin his ultimate transformation. **"ASCENSION!"**

The first thing that Krichevskoy and the rest of his guests noticed was the sudden increase in size. I a single moment, Saito had gone from being 5'7" to the towering height of 60' tall. His body had changed, and there were now fairly thick black and gold scales all over his body. However, the one feature that had changed the most was the mage's face. It had become much more elongated, and his nose and ears had disappeared. It was fairly flat in appearance, but that was not what surprised the Overlord's guests. Rather, it was the coloring of it. The head was completely black, with the exception of a single gold stripe that ran down the center of his face. This stripe was wide enough so that both of his eyes were inside of it. His eyes had reverted to their original ice blue, and they were glittering brilliantly. The Infinity dragon turned towards the Overlord, and then he grinned. His long tail thumped the ground once, sending out a mid-sized shockwave. Saito then spread his wings, and everyone momentarily forgot to breathe. His wings were ebony on the outside, but the underside of each wing was covered in brilliant gold scales.

Everyone heard a sudden rumble, and they all suddenly flinched. Then, Krichevskoy recognized what he was hearing from the young dragon. He looked over at his wife, grinning. "Don't worry, Rena. Saito isn't going to do anything to us." "Then why is he making that noise?" _Why, you ask? I'm just sitting here, laughing at those poor idiots who decided to side with my father. Master Nicholai, relay the retreat order to Priere and the rest of the demons. Michael, tell all of your angels to land immediately. I don't want to take out anyone on our side when I unleash my final two attacks._ Both the Seraph and the Overlord complied, and then Saito beat his massive wings once, in order to lift himself off of the ground. He turned to face his father, and the grin on his face suddenly morphed into the draconic equivalent of a sneer. _Well old man, it looks like only one of us is going to survive this battle. You got that much right, kid. Good luck. You're going to need it! Likewise, father. May the best dragon win!_

With those words, Saito began to charge a massive blast. Kaido noticed this, and he began to charge a blast of his own. _Everyone! Hit him with everything when I give the command! It's too late now, Dad. THIS...ENDS...**NOW!** **SOUL REND!**_ The massive blast suddenly erupted from Saito's jaws, and he quickly swept it across the sky. The pure white beam touched every single one of the two hundred and twenty-five remaining dragons, and Kaido suddenly felt sick to his stomach. _WHERE in the hell did he generate that kind of power! It's impossible! Unless... No. That can't be it! **What is it, Boss? What are you talking about?** My son...is...an Ultima Kaiser. I know that it's a little hard to believe, but it's the truth. And now it is time that I prove it to ALL of you._ He began to charge another blast, but this one was a brilliant ice blue. When he had finished charging he roared out one single rhetorical question as he unleashed his final attack. _When will you fools ever learn to NEVER CROSS MY PATH AGAIN! **FINAL DESTINY!**_

The blast erupted from the dragon's mouth and slammed into the Tyrant Dragon first. It then passed _through_ the Tyrant, and slammed into every other dragon in the air. The blast literally shredded Kaido, leaving nothing behind except for a mist of blood. The same thing happened to the remaining two hundred and twenty-five dragons who had defied the newly christened _diralec_.

All below were forced to turn away from the gruesome spectacle. Even Priere, who supposedly had and iron stomach, was forced to turn away and cover her mouth in order to keep from being violently sick. Nicholai looked over at Michael, and then he slowly shook his head. "It had to be done. He left young master Saito with no other choice." The Seraph nodded in agreement. "If not for his actions, there would be a lot more dead on this battlefield. Who knows? WE might even be the ones lying in the dirt right now." The head angel shook his head sadly. "It was a terrible waste of life. There MUST have been a better solution." "I'm afraid that you are wrong in that regard, Master Lamington." Both the Seraph and the Overlord turned around, and were surprised to see that Saito was back in his human form. "Knowing how my father thinks, and also recognizing that those with him in that last moment were those who would have died rather than settle peacefully, I had no choice but to kill them. Those that surrendered or were unable to continue were actually the smarter ones." He sighed aloud, and then ran his right hand through his hair. Rena looked at him thoughtfully, but then she noticed something that made her stop cold. "Is it just me, or does your hair look a little redder than usual?" Saito stopped to think, and then he looked at his right hand. His palm had come away red. "Son of a...!" With that last remark, Saito slumped to the ground.

Rena rushed over to him, and then she took a closer look at his hair. "It looks like a blade clipped his scalp. I'm surprised that he didn't notice it until now." The Overlord chuckled aloud. "I'm not surprised at all. Besides, he should be up and about in a few minutes anyway. Just give him a little time, and you'll see that I'm right." "If you insist, dear," Rena responded as she wrapped Saito's scalp with a clean bandage. She finished the dressing and stepped back to admire her handiwork. Then she heard Saito groan. "Why did you have to wrap it so tightly? I don't really want a migraine." Rena planted her hand on slender hips, and gave him an incredulous look. "You are impossible, you know that?" "Of course I know that, Queen Rena. How do you think I have managed to survive high school?" Rena shook her head. "Very good point. Besides, I think my husband is about to give the guests an explanation." Saito grinned wickedly as he leaned on the Queen's shoulder. "Do you think that you could help me get to the stage? I have a funny feeling that I am going to be asked to explain a few things." The new queen nodded, and then helped him to the stage.

"Quiet down, everyone. I know that you want some answers, and I will do the best that I can. First, are there any questions about what you all just witnessed?" Nearly every hand shot up, and Nicholai sighed to himself. _This may take awhile._ "I've got a major question for you. What in the _hell_ is that kid?" called out a Majin by the name of Saul. _If you don't mind, Nicholai, I want to answer this one myself. Be my guest, Saito._ The weredragon looked over at the queen before suddenly standing upright. He walked over to the podium, and a hush fell over the crowd. Saito allowed his eyes to wander until he spotted the Majin. "For your information, I am a four-part hybrid of human, vampire, angel, and dragon." Dead silence followed this statement, but it was soon lost in the clamor that followed. "Who are you, and what are you doing here?" yelled Tobias. The weredragon looked over at the Overlord, rolled his eyes, and sighed. "My full title is Saito Alexander Daniel Michael Nathaniel Alan Jeffrey Onago. As for your second question, allow me to say this much: if I had not been here in the first place, ALL of you would be **dead!** Are there any other questions?" His eyes scanned the crowd, until they settled on a fairly young knight. "Yes?" She looked around nervously, and then asked her question in a trembling voice. "What are you going to do now that the attack is over?" Saito smiled and then looked over at the Overlord. "I plan on enjoying the reception, and then having a fairly long rest. Besides, it's not like the world is ending before your eyes. You should enjoy life. And speaking of enjoying things, let's get this reception started!" Saito turned off the microphone and stepped away from the podium. However, his voice still traveled the entire length and breadth of the reception area. "Ladies and gentlemen, angels, demons, and draconics: allow me to introduce you all to King Nicholai Krichevskoy and his wife, Queen Rena." As the two stepped up to the podium, thunderous applause was heard from the crowd. Saito looked over at the two of them and grinned. _Let's get this party started!_

_Ten minutes later:_

"But this is my first time at a wedding! I don't know what I'm supposed to do!" "Well, at the very least, you have to dance with both Priere and Marjoly." _NOW you tell me, Nicholai._ The Overlord laughed out loud, and then reached over to pat Saito on the shoulder. "It's not all that bad." "You mean for me. I'm not so sure whether Marjoly would say the same thing." The young Kaiser looked worriedly over at the first-aid station. Marjoly's wounds had been bandaged, and she had managed to slip back into her bridesmaid outfit. She tried to stand, and Saito instantly rushed over to support her. Nicholai chuckled to himself as he turned to his bride. "He's so protective of others. I would be fairly surprised if he left here alone." Rena giggled and then lightly punched him on the arm. "Nicholai! What are you suggesting?" Krichevskoy laughed aloud before turning back towards the dance floor. He wasn't surprised to see that Saito had refused to leave Marjoly's side until he was certain that she could stand on her own.

_Later that night:_

Saito sighed aloud as he headed back to the Overlord's Castle. The food had been great, but the young mage still felt that he had overspent himself during the battle. He stumbled on the path, and Priere quickly steadied him. "You look like you need to rest," she said. Her blood-red eyes betrayed how worried she was. "Just help me get to the hospital. I have an awful feeling that I am going to be out for quite some time," Saito replied. The Alternate Overlord nodded, and then helped him through the gates of the castle. At that point Saito collapsed onto the floor, and he knew no more.

_A month-and-a-half later:_

_**Netherworld Hospital: Overlord's Castle**_

"Why does this keep happening to me?" Saito groaned as he opened his eyes. "Maybe it's because you are ignorant of your own injuries so often." The mage turned his head to the left and smiled at Priere. "My first concern is for the safety of others. I don't really care if it kills me or not." The Alternate Overlord's eyes creased slightly. "You may not care, but the rest of us do." She walked over and enfolded the young mage in a hug. "Welcome back to the land of the living. You've been out for nearly a month-and-a-half." Saito relaxed slightly, but then he panicked. "What in the name of heaven and hell am I still doing here! I need to get home!" He struggled to sit up, but he was quickly restrained. "Take it easy, young man. Your mother knows that you are okay. As a matter-of-fact, she arrived here nearly two weeks ago, along with a few other draconics. I think I'll go tell them the good news." Priere stood up, and then blushed. "Thank you for saving all of us. I don't think you know how much most of us appreciate the lesson in tactics you taught us, OR the value of a well-planned strategy." With that, she turned and headed out the door.

_**Waiting Room: Netherworld Hospital**_

Priere walked in with a smile on her face and a slight spring in her step. "I have some good news for everyone!" Serena raised her head and looked at the Alternate Overlord. "Is my son alive?" she asked, her voice trembling. Priere's eyes glittered brilliantly as she replied. "Even better. He's actually awake, and he really wants to see you." Saito's mother stood up and gently shook out her thin gown. She then turned to the two other draconics who had accompanied her. "Come on. Let's see if he has truly finished recovering." The three draconics entered the room, in order to find that Saito was sitting up in bed, propped up with several pillows. His eyes lit up when he saw his mother enter the room, and then they widened when he saw the two people who had come with her. He was fairly quick to bow his head in respect. "Master Alexander! Oricaltos Nathaniel! My humblest apologies that I am unable to greet both of you properly." The older draconics looked at each other, and then they both smiled. The Oricaltos was the first to speak. "First off, I would like to thank you for what you did on that day. You saved all of us a lot of trouble." Saito was a little puzzled. "What do you mean by that?" "Well… Your old man was planning on eliminating anyone who stood in his way. He gathered everyone that hated you, and told them his idea. He finished by promising to eliminate ME if he survived. For that, you have my deepest thanks, Saito Onago." Alexander nodded in agreement, and then he spoke. "I was watching everything from the Hall. I have to say that you handled Shadow even better than I originally anticipated you would. I was also QUITE impressed with how quickly you utilized your final form. Everything has been recorded in the chronicles, and your name will be one that will truly outlast the histories."

Saito raised an eyebrow. "I never knew that my actions would actually have THAT much of an impact. All I was trying to do was save a few lives." The Oricaltos grinned. "Well, if you had not been there to help with tactics, then there would have been a whole lot less life to save." The older man then turned and looked over at the door. He then raised a quizzical eyebrow, causing Saito to chuckle lightly. "The young mage then called out from his semi-prone position. "It's all right, Nicholai. You can come in and have a seat." The Overlord bowed before he entered the room. His red eyes looked slightly worried. _Are you **sure** about this? Trust me, old friend. They mean you no harm._ "Overlord, I would like to introduce you to my combat instructor and the leader of all draconics. Master Alexander, Oricaltos Nathaniel, I would like to introduce you both to Nicholai Krichevskoy, the current Overlord of the Netherworld." The Oricaltos bowed his head in respect to the other monarch, and Nicholai merely shook his head. "There is no need to do that here in my house. I treat people based on their personality, not by their social status." At this statement, the Oricaltos could not keep the grin from his face as he extended his right hand. "It is truly a pleasure to finally meet the man who will help to bring peace to this world." Nicholai shook the man's hand, and then he noticed that Alexander was looking over his shoulder at someone. He smiled, realizing that it could only be one person who had that effect on people. He turned towards the doorway, smiling. "You can come in now, Rena. He is awake, and fairly well healed."

Rena Solvaris rushed into the room and promptly threw her arms around Saito. She hugged him tightly, and then looked over at Alexander. She blushed slightly before remembering to curtsy. "Master Alexander, it is truly a pleasure to see you once again." "Likewise, young lady. When I first heard about the wedding, I couldn't believe my ears. Then, I saw what happened before the reception, and I suddenly realized that what I had been hearing **was** true." Rena smiled gently at her former mentor before turning to look down at the bedridden draconic. "Are you sure that you have recovered completely, Saito?" The young man nodded, and was about to speak when the Oricaltos raised his hand. Saito immediately fell silent, and al eyes turned to the draconic leader. "I wish to thank you, and ALL of those who helped to care for this young man in the past few months. I never realized how strong his spirit was, until I witnessed what he pulled-off at the reception." Saito flushed slightly, and the Oricaltos grinned before turning to Saito's mother. "Lady Serena, may you please send in the Alternate Overlord and the witch of Beauty Castle?" Serena smiled slightly, bowed, and then exited the room. Shortly after her departure, Priere and Marjoly walked into the room. However, they brought another guest with them: a fairly surprised Seraph. Michael slowly shook his head before smiling at the Oricaltos. "Nathaniel, it is good to see that you are alive and well." "I have to say the same thing about you, Michael. I was starting to wonder whether you would remember or not." "Remember? How could I ever FORGET that day? As a matter-of-fact, I still have the scars that I received." Saito looked at the two, a puzzled look on his face. "What are you two talking about?" "**Nothing**," both responded simultaneously. They looked over at one another, and then started laughing. The Oricaltos shook his head, and then he spoke once more. "I called all of you here for a reason. The Master Gatekeeper has decided to retire from his post, and I would like all of you to attend the ceremony that will install young master Saito in his place."

Saito's eyes suddenly grew wide with astonishment. "You want me to be the Gatekeeper? Why not select someone else?" "That's because there IS nobody else to choose from. YOU are the last of the Kaisers, Saito. Nobody else could handle the task." At this, the young mage grinned. "Then I humbly accept your offer."

_One week later:_

_**Hall of Shadows: Draconia**_

Serena Onago could not hold back her tears as she watched her son ascend the main steps. Alexander looked on with pride at his prize pupil as he willingly accepted the task of guarding the twelve dimensional keys. Krichevskoy merely sat near the back of the room, smiling easily. The Seraph, meanwhile, was sitting between Priere and Marjoly. The Witch of Beauty Castle had made a full recovery from her injuries, and she smiled gently as Saito crossed the stage to the podium. "Quiet. I want to hear his speech."

As the ceremony wound down, Saito stepped up to the podium to do something that he had dreaded for quite a while: give a speech. "First and foremost, I would like to thank the Oricaltos for hosting this ceremony, and for my teacher, Master Alexander Critios, for also being present on this joyous occasion. Next, I would like to thank my mother. She has done **so** much for me, and she helped me to see my true path in life. She gave me the weapon that saved my life, and I will always look up to her." Saito allowed his gaze to wander the audience before he continued. "I wish to thank the Overlord, Nicholai Krichevskoy, for giving me the chance to prove my own skills on the field of battle. I also wish to thank his lady wife, Rena, for her amazing healing skills and her caring devotion. I will always look up to you, Nicholai. There is no doubt about that." His eyes swept the room once more, until he noticed three particular people who were sitting together. He grinned. "Next, I wish to extend my thanks to the Lady Priere, who is the Overlord of the Alternate Netherworld. Thank you for watching my back during all of the confusion. Along with her is the witch Marjoly, who saved my life more than once during that hellish fighting." _I also want to thank you for not giving up and dying on me during the fight._ Marjoly felt her face turn scarlet, and she turned away to hide her blush. _**I** should be the one who is thanking you. If you hadn't been there to help me out… Don't be so morbid, Marjoly. Please?_ Saito sighed aloud before continuing. "Finally, I want to thank the Seraph, Michael Lamington, for his belief." Saito looked pointedly at the Seraph. "Without the angels that accompanied him, the battle would have ended _very_ differently. Finally, I want to thank all who attended this ceremony. Your support helped to bring me through this crisis. Thank you." As he stepped from the podium, he heard a noise like thunder. Turning around, he saw that everyone was on their feet, giving the young man a standing ovation. He flushed red before bowing to the audience.

After everyone else had left, only the Overlord and a few others remained behind. Saito looked around at the small group that surrounded him. "I want to _personally_ thank each of you for coming. In parting, I have a gift for each of you." He dipped his hand into the pouch hanging over his right hip, and drew out several small crystals. Each crystal was a different color, and had a different set of initials. The young mage shrugged lightly as the young women gawked at the gemstones in his hands. "Think of this as a way to remember me."

Saito passed the first ruby over to Priere. She looked into it, and then gasped. The center was much lighter than the rest of the gem, and she could clearly see that her full name had been written in ebony. She strung the pendant around her neck, and then proceeded to squeeze the living daylights out of the young mage. "Ack, woman! Let me breathe!" Priere let him go and then she stepped back, blushing. "Thank you, Saito Onago."

The weredragon passed the second ruby, along with an extra onyx, over to the Overlord. Krichevskoy smiled and shook the young man's hand. "You have truly found your place, my friend." Saito smiled. "Without you, I wouldn't be here. Thank you." He then proceeded to give out the rest of the stones.

The emerald on a silver chain went to Rena, while the amethyst was handed to Marjoly. Finally, Saito drew a silver agate from his bag. This he passed to the Seraph with a smile. "Thank you for everything that you have done, Master Lamington." The Seraph smiled gently at the young man. "You are **very** welcome, young Master Saito."

Saito Onago looked around the circle, and then he smiled. "If you ever want to visit with me, just wrap one hand around the pendant before you enter the Dimensional Gate. I'll be able to sense it, and will bring you here. Are there any questions?" He looked around, and all he saw were saddened faces. "I will be with you always. Never forget that." With that, the new Keeper of the Keys opened three Dimensional Gates, and his guests finally headed home.

**Flashback Ends**

"And THAT is where my past ends, and the present truly begins. Now," he said, looking around the room at everyone, "are there any questions now that I am finished?" Setsuna was quick to raise a hand, and his example was followed closely by Maderas and Gordon. Saito looked around, and then he smiled. "Setsuna? I'll answer your question first. Next, I'll answer Gordon's. Last, I will answer Maderas' question." The holy/unholy lowered his hand, and then he spoke. "I never knew that you could actually **become** the dragon, rather than just summoning one. Why didn't you do that during our battle?" "Well, I didn't want to **kill** you. Besides, I knew that it was not yet your time to leave the world." The mage then turned to Gordon, and the Slayer had his say. "I keep on hearing the mention of keys. How many are there, and where do they all lead?" Saito paused for a moment, and then he shrugged.

"There are twelve official keys and one **unofficial** key. The unofficial key leads directly to my forge, and I am the only one who can use it. Three of the remaining keys lead to the gates on Earth, which are as follows: Grand Central Station, EDF Headquarters, and the White House. The three keys that open doors in Celestia create gates to the Sacred Altar, the Fountain of Dreams, and the main gateway between Celestia and the Netherworld. The keys that lead to the True Netherworld open the gates in Veyer Castle and the Overlord's Castle. The keys that lead to the **Alternate** Netherworld open the gates in Priere Castle and Beauty Castle. Finally, the two draconic keys lead to the Hall of Prophecies and the Hall of Shadows."

"What do you mean by the Hall of Shadows?" "Oh, sorry. I need to explain that. The Hall of Shadows is basically the palace of our leader, the Oricaltos." "Thanks for the clarification, kid." "You're very welcome, Slayer of the Netherworld." Finally, Saito turned to Maderas. The Nosferatu slowly looked at the mage and then asked a simple question. "What took you so long to get here?" The mage promptly looked over at the former Overlord, and then raised an eyebrow. "Do I really have to explain this all over again?" Krichevskoy smiled and then shrugged. "That's YOUR decision, not mine. After all, it _is_ your story that is being told." Saito sighed and then looked Maderas square in the eye. "I had a run-in with Baal. Does that answer your question?" The vampire blanched, and then nodded.

Saito sighed aloud. _It's good to finally get all of it out. I was staring to wonder as to how much longer I would be able to hold it in._ "Well, I've heard all of your questions. Now, **I** have a question for a few of you." He turned towards Priere, and then he gently smiled. "Do you all still have your pendants?" Krichevskoy smiled as he withdrew the chain from his pocket. "I have mine, but I'm not so sure about the rest of you." Rena turned to her husband. "I _know_ that I still have mine, because I gave it to **you**. Can I have it back now, Nicholai?" The former Overlord shrugged as he handed his wife the emerald. Saito looked over at Priere and Marjoly, and then raised an eyebrow. Priere couldn't stop herself, and she giggled. "WHAT! You think that I would lose something that was given to me by the only four-part hybrid that I have ever met? I'm _wearing_ it right now." To prove her point, she allowed her right hand to stray across her throat, and her fingers instinctively closed around the slender chain. She lifted the ruby up so that Saito could see it, and then she noticed that Marjoly was doing the same with her pendant. The young weredragon then looked over at the Seraph. Michael shrugged, and then he tugged down his collar to allow the agate to see sunlight once more.

The young man smiled at each of his compatriots. "Thank you for remembering them. However, we have other matters to attend to." He turned to Laharl and let his chin rest on his hands. "Do you have any ideas as to how we can deal with Baal?"

**To be continued in _Disgaea: Shadows of the Obligate._**

**Author's notes: **Finally finished with this piece! Please read it and let me know what you thought of it.


	4. Notice!

The administrators of are as of June 4th going to be taking down Fics that have lemons or have extreme violence. Now I don't know about you but I think thats stupid. There are many wonderful fics that only have one or two lemons in them yet the plot itself is awesome! You can't just take down a 100,000+ word fic just because it has a lemon in a chapter that is only 1000 words long. Now I urge you all to read the petition below, sign it, and repost this to your own fics. Hopefully if we make enough noise everything will return to normal. Thank you.

Greetings to the fine folk that moderate our site.

Myself, along with many, have been writing and posting on your fine site for years now, some of the better examples of up and coming writers out there are now suddenly finding some of the stories we've come to love at risk of being removed without the chance to even rectify our errors.

For some, that means the permanent loss of a story. While I don't have anything that I believe violates your terms of use, there are those out there that are never able to recover a story in its original form, this is something I find to be almost worthy of a legal action, as while we cannot claim ownership of a character, the stories are OURS and simply destroying them is something that is inexcusable.

It's quite easy to simply add an MA rating, additional filters or even a simple requirement for a free membership to read the stories presented here, and would cut down on hateful anonymous reviews and posts at the same time, so I have to question as to why such a thing, in all this time, simply wasn't added.

If you're worried about falsification of a registration then have an appropriate disclaimer and then there can be no dispute, you took your steps and the PARENTS didn't monitor their children, if that is even your concern. If it is more of a personal view or desire then please at least let people know and give them a chance to remove a story that you and yours find offensive, most people on the site are actually rather cordial when it comes to such requests.

While I cannot say for sure if this letter will even reach those that may be willing to listen, of if it's more akin to a wide spectrum purge in preparation for something bigger, please understand that you are going to be looseing a LARGE number of your writers, and thus your income from a lack of readers if there is not some level of action taken to help with this situation.

For those that may agree with this, please feel free to sign on and send this to the support server, maybe we can get some movement on this.

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